Attorney General Knudsen announces appointments to the Montana Missing Indigenous Persons Task Force

GREAT FALLS – Attorney General Austin Knudsen today announced appointments to the Montana Missing Indigenous Persons Task Force. The task force’s main goals are to break down jurisdictional barriers and identify causes that contribute to missing and murdered Indigenous persons.

During the 2023 legislative session, Attorney General Knudsen supported Rep. Tyson Running Wolf’s House Bill which extended the task force for 10 years and provided for a full-time program coordinator. The 10-year extension will help the task force members set and achieve long-term goals to better address the missing Indigenous persons crisis in Montana.

“I’m looking forward to working with this task force to find a solution to end the missing Indigenous persons crisis in Montana,” Attorney General Knudsen said. “Today’s meeting was productive and I’m confident the members are ready to take on this challenge. Together, we can find the missing and bring them home.”

The following individuals were appointed or reappointed to the task force:

Alan Doane, representing the Montana Attorney General’s Office
Yolanda Fraser, representing the Northern Cheyenne Tribe
Brian Frost, representing the Montana Department of Justice
Stacie FourStar, representing the Fort Peck Assiniboine & Sioux Tribes
Chrystal Hickman, representing the Montana Office of Public Instruction
Cheryl Horn, representing Fort Belknap Indian Community
Iris Kill Eagle, representing the Little Shell Chippewa Tribe
Danielle Matt, representing the Confederated Salish & Kootenai Tribes
Amanda Myers, representing the United States Attorney’s Office
Haley Omeasoo, At-large member
Dr. Alan Ostby, representing the Indian Health Services
Derek Werner, representing Montana Highway Patrol
Jonathan Windy Boy, representing the Chippewa Cree Tribe of the Rocky Boy’s Reservation
Sarah Wolftail, representing the Blackfeet Nation

Indigenous persons go missing at a higher rate than other races in Montana. Indigenous persons cases made up 31 percent of 1,386 total missing persons cases reported by law enforcement last year. However, thanks to the work of Montana law enforcement agencies, the 2023 clearance rate for missing Indigenous persons is currently 99 percent. Of the 693 Indigenous persons reported missing last year, five are still actively missing.

Attorney General Knudsen also supported Rep. Running Wolf’s House Bill 18 during the 2023 legislative session which established a missing persons response team training grant program to bolster the Montana Department of Justice’s response to missing and murdered Indigenous people across the state.

In 2021, Attorney General Knudsen launched a new online missing persons database to help law enforcement agencies and the public find all missing persons and bring them home. The enhanced database is easier to use and provides accurate and timely information from agencies across the state as they submit updates to the FBI’s National Crime Information Center (NCIC) database of missing persons.

For a complete list of missing persons in Montana, visit https://dojmt.gov/missing-persons/.