FBI sets $25,000 minimum reward for dozens of unsolved Indian Country cases

The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) has implemented a minimum reward of $25,000 in cases of missing or killed individuals in Indian Country. This measure aims to tackle the high rates of violence impacting Native American communities. Over 50 unsolved homicides and missing-person cases in tribal communities now qualify for the new minimum reward.

Most of these cases are less than 10 years old, though a dozen have remained unsolved for more than two decades. The FBI's National Crime Information Center recorded nearly 1,500 active cases involving missing Native Americans by the end of 2025, although not all cases are federal.

Concerns arise regarding whether the increased reward amounts will encourage tipsters to come forward, citing fears and distrust of the federal government. Lisa Carlow, whose father Patrick Carlow Sr. was found dead on the Pine Ridge Reservation in 2023, expressed skepticism about the impact of the higher rewards. The FBI investigates federal crimes on nearly 200 Native American reservations, alongside the U.S. Bureau of Indian Affairs.

Mary Kathryn Nagle, a citizen of the Cherokee Nation and an attorney advocating for families of missing Native Americans, suggests that larger rewards could incentivize people to share information and demonstrate that their loved ones' cases are being taken seriously. However, Luana Ross, a co-director of the Native Voices program at the University of Washington, warns that cash rewards often aren't paid out and reservation communities may be reluctant to turn friends or relatives into criminals due to distrust and fear of retribution from the justice system.