Identifying the Scope and Context of Missing and Murdered Indigenous Persons (MMIP) in New Mexico and Improving MMIP Data Collection, Analysis, and Reporting

This project proposes a new partnership between the New Mexico Indian Affairs Department (NMIAD) and the New Mexico Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women & Relatives Task Force (NM MMIWR TF) and researchers at The University of Nebraska at Omaha. The current proposal is a replication and extension of the applicant’s 2019 NIJ tribal-researcher capacity-building partnership (TRCB) project (Grant ID 2019-75-CX-0014), which conducted a pilot study on the scope of missing and murdered Native persons in Nebraska and provided a replicable model for other states to employ. This study aims to address two broad goals: 1) to use the “Nebraska Model” developed in the pilot study to examine the scope and context of MMIP in New Mexico and 2) to extend prior research by identifying gaps in current data collection and provide recommendations for improving long-term data collection and sustainable data reporting for cases of MMIP in New Mexico.

Findings from this study will provide vital information regarding the prevalence and context of cases of MMIP in New Mexico. In addition, they will inform long-term data collection, analysis, and reporting strategies on MMIP. Specifically, the descriptive profiles developed in Goal 1 will provide essential baseline data for the TF regarding the context of Native missing person cases in New Mexico, including new stakeholder partnerships and policy priorities. Similarly, the findings from Goal 2 will result in improved data collection, data analysis, and data reporting. These improvements will support data-driven decision-making regarding MMIP in New Mexico moving forward. Broad dissemination of results is planned, including focusing on tribal communities, practitioners, and state policymakers through the NMIAD. To this end, in addition to drafting a final report to NIJ, the findings will be disseminated to tribal communities, practitioners, and state decision-makers in New Mexico to advance actionable recommendations gleaned from the proposed project. CA/NCF