Staffing problems stall federal investigations of missing and killed Native people

The U.S. Bureau of Indian Affairs' Missing and Murdered Unit, established in 2021 to address the crisis of violence against Native Americans and solve cold cases, has faced significant staffing issues since its inception. A recent federal audit found that 39% of the unit's budget for 2021-2024 was redirected towards other law enforcement costs, while nearly half of the unit's positions remained unfilled, despite overall Bureau of Indian Affairs workforce losses.

This staffing shortage has led to a backlog of cases and left families without access to required victim services, as seen in the case of Peter Martin, whose disappearance from the Fond Du Lac reservation in Minnesota has stalled since the assigned agent left the role in early 2025.

Brief written by urgent.news from Winnipeg Free Press's own syndicated text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.