/KDLG)
The residents of Bristol Bay, family, neighbors and friends have been contemplating Kelly Coopchiak. When the 25-year-old girl From Togiak was reported missing in October Search and rescue teams, as well as Alaska State Troopers spent two weeks searching for her.
Then, Troopers halted searching to find Coopchiak and claimed that they didn’t suspect that there was any foul involvement. Her community members have criticized Troopers’ actions on social media, urging for a more thorough investigation regarding her disappearance.
Coopchiak is among the many missing persons in the region. In the United States, Indigenous people constitute 3.5 percent of the people listed into the National Missing and Unidentified Persons System (NamUs) but they comprise only approximately 1 percent in all of the U.S. population, according to the 2023 Congressional Research Service report.
It is reported that the Bureau of Indian Affairs indicates that the case information is absent from NamUs. A study conducted in 2016 by the National Crime Information Center found that out of 5,712 cases about missing Indigenous women and girls, only 116 instances were recorded in NamUs. Alaska is ranked fourth in the nation for cases of murder and missing Indigenous peoples cases by state in an report from the year 2018. Urban Indian Health Institute report.
Charlene Aqpik Apok serves as the executive director of Data for Indigenous Justice an organization that is statewide that has tracked missing and killed Indigenous people for a period of five years.
“We are aware that from both our families as well as local communities that this is taking place for a very long period of time,” Apok said. “Our conviction is that the violence that we see is not a part of our Indigenous communities and that it is the result of a long past which is the result of … continuing colonialism.”
Apok stated that the families of victims are often the primary and, sometimes, the only advocate for those who have been killed or missing. Alaska Native people, and that it could take many years to determine who will be held accountable in these instances. This puts the responsibility of advocacy and communication on the shoulders of individuals, not an institution. Furthermore, Apok said families must be able to deal with troopers who make mistakes in their investigations and interact with relatives with suspicion in the event they offer context to the case.
Apok stated that prior to 2018, no single institution had compiled the complete list of missing or killed Indigenous individuals. In that year, she explained that people came forward with their stories. tell their experiences.
The testimony helped in the creation of Data for Indigenous Justice. She added that the information it has gathered over the years that followed has been a great help in illustrating the magnitude the cases.
The Alaska Department of Public Safety also followed suit and started putting more effort into tracing MMIP cases. In 2022 the department started assigning investigators solely to cold cases involving missing and killed Indigenous people. There are four investigators now.
In the summer of 2018, the department released it’s initial quarterly reports with a categorical cause for each incident. The majority of MMIP cases are categorized in the report as “environmental,” defined as the absence of evidence in a non-suspicious manner from outdoor areas or deaths in which human remains aren’t discovered.
However, Apok stated that families continue to press for updates on their cases, and that has to change.
“I believe it’s very evident that law enforcement agencies need to work in concert (with the families),” she said. “Right now, the burden of doing that falls on families that are grieving and are already struggling to cope with loved ones missing or being murdered.”
Apok stated that Data for Indigenous Justice has asked law enforcement agencies to provide families with regular updates on MMIP cases. The organization is looking for better education for law enforcement officers in order to enhance communication within Native communities, as well as to see more funds for tribal courts.
Data for Indigenous Justice, Apok stated, supports the call for a change at the federal level to the manner in which law enforcement agencies report these incidents, and even requiring that law enforcement record the names of those who have disappeared into NamUs.
“It will require legislation and support from Congress since it’s a federal effort,” she said.
Apok suggests that during an event of missing persons families choose one person as a single point of contact to maintain all information related to the case. She advised that keeping the case open is crucial to the ongoing investigation. Family members or advocates must regularly contact law enforcement officials, having the chance to pose questions and to have Troopers record all information they supply.
In recent times the Federal government begun to allocate resources to deal with the growing number of murdered and missing Indigenous persons. The year 2021 was the first time the Department of Justice established an experimental initiative within Alaska to tackle what they call”MMIP. “MMIP crises.” It offered a framework that allowed participants could develop responses strategies. In the case of Dillingham, Curyung Tribe in Dillingham was one of three tribes who agreed to participate.
Courtenay Carty who’s name in Yup’ik is Paluqtaq, was tribe’s administrator in the past. She was the liaison between law enforcement, families as well as the media on MMIP cases. She stated that she was proud that the Curyung Tribe was among the very first tribe in Alaska that was the first in Alaska adopt a community-based strategy for action.
“Our tribe is extremely concerned about understanding the data and working together with every one of our partners in the community to address (the issue),” she said. “The plan was created as an ongoing document that can be reviewed and updated as needed.”
Carty stated that the law enforcement, the tribe, Dillingham Search and Rescue, KDLG Radio and regional organisations worked together to create an individual plan. The plan outlines how communities can respond in the aftermath of a murder or missing person emergency. The ultimate goal is that it can prevent the occurrence of the occurrence of future MMIP instances by helping to build an inclusive community that has strong support system.
Curyung’s plan for community action encourages a holistic approach for healing, which includes an inclusive approach to mental and medical health services. Carty stated it leaves the concept of healing that is culturally appropriate open in order to allow it to be modified to meet the needs of a person’s family.
“Whatever the cultural values of the family that is supported by the program and who is receiving response services, their values must be considered – not only recognized, but also incorporated into the response that it looks as,” Carty said.
Curyung’s strategy focuses on Dillingham and Dillingham, however Carty suggested that a local response plan should be formulated for the entire area in Bristol Bay. She suggested that organizations in Bristol Bay can fund a regional worker to act as an emergency contact point in MMIP emergency situations, and could work in conjunction with SAFE the regional group of domestic abuse shelters that provide support for families.
In June 2023 In June 2023, the U.S. Department of Justice launched a missing and murdered Indigenous peoples outreach program which included five regional coordinators as well as the six assistant regional U.S. attorney positions across the United States. A formal statement from the U.S. Attorney’s Office, District of Alaska said the function that regional coordinators in the Alaska Regional Coordinator is to inform the communities about the federal resources available to them and assist in the creation actions plans for communities, and engage in discussions on the procedure for MMIP cases with the relevant parties.
Carty stated that Alaska’s division within the Department of Justice has facilitated regional discussions in certain regions, however until November 2023 there is no one at all in Bristol Bay. The region is in need of one.
In addition, she stated that the local law enforcement agency and other agencies within Dillingham must be more integrated into the Curyung’s strategy, in order to reduce high turnover and the need to train constantly.
“Now because of turnover at the tribe, and apparently…turnover at other agencies, this plan is sitting dusty on a shelf and our people are still missing,” she said.
Carty stated that people may feel uncomfortable speaking to law enforcement officers, so the public gathering could create more trust between law enforcement personnel and citizens.
“If there was more community dialog, maybe between our peacekeepers, caretakers as well as us citizens, that could be beneficial,” she said.
Carty explained that the team behind the plan may require a reorganization. “Maybe the group that came up with the plan should convene an appointment,” she said.
She also believes there is the potential for more prevention-oriented activities to combat the issue of violence on Indigenous people, such as encouraging events on healthy relationships.
It is difficult to not become overwhelmed by the number of missing or killed Indigenous people living in Alaska the state, according to data For Indigenous Justice’s executive director Apok stated.
“We’re trying to manage something massive and complicated. We’ll also be facing the issue every all day long,” Apok said. “It is a very difficult time for our families as well as our communities. I am confident that we’ll get through the end of it. We will not be able to ignore our people.”
If someone goes missing the law enforcement agency says that there is no need to wait for any length of time to make a report. You can call 911. Or the State Trooper number at 907-451-5100.
Find more information on the Missing and Murdered Indigenous People Tribal Community Response Plans, resources for training and educational material by contacting Alaska’s Missing and Murdered Indigenous Persons Coordinator Ingrid Cumberlidge at [email protected] or 907-306-0669.
Contact the author via [email protected] at 907-842-2200.
