Pima County, tribal leaders address Missing, Murdered Indigenous People crisis

TUCSON, Ariz. (KGUN) — Efforts to bring attention to Missing and Murdered Indigenous people are underway in Tucson on the National Day of Awareness.

The Pima County Attorney’s Office joined tribal leaders for a press conference on the work being done by the Southern Arizona Missing and Murdered Indigenous People Task Force.

“When we say crisis, we mean crisis,” Pima County Attorney Laura Conover said.

According to federal data, Arizona ranks among the top three in the country for missing and murdered Indigenous people cases. Slides displayed at the event represented just four of those cases in the state, highlighting a reality that many leaders say continues to impact families.

“In 2025 alone, there are nearly 10,000 reports collected by the FBI nationally of a report of a missing person,” Conover said.

Of those 10,000 reports, Conover says a majority are young girls are under 18 years old. She added that in Southern Arizona, there are multiple active cases at the Tohono O’odham Nation.

PCOA

“Police Chief James Cook of the Tohono O’odham Nation tells me he has 10 open files right now alone that are still open investigations,” Conover said.

Tohono O’odham Chairman Verlon Jose says the nation is now working closely with agencies through a regional task force to address the issue.

“I believe the task force has cracked something that we should have been doing a long time ago,” Jose said.

The Pima County Attorney’s Office received a $75,000 grant from the Vera Institute aimed at expanding restorative justice programs on the Tohono O’odham Nation and in Ajo.

“Restorative justice, as we know, is a way in which we try to intervene and get at root cause of harm early on,” Conover said.

PCOA

The effort also includes a new partnership with University of Arizona law students to help improve how cases are tracked and shared.

“Designating lawyers in training who will be with us this summer and designating a couple of them to join the police departments in a way to hopefully improve, consolidate, organize data on this issue,” Conover said.

Both Conover and Jose say better coordination could help keep cases from being overlooked, and the stakes are high for every family involved.

“We should do everything that we can, because you matter. Our family matters. You are our family. The Tohono O’odham has always been hospitable people,” Jose said.

PCOA

Even the smallest piece of information could help move a case forward. Anyone with information can call 88-CRIME to report it and remain anonymous.

This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.