Navajo Nation Faces Challenges in Handling Missing and Murdered Persons Cases
The Navajo Nation is grappling with significant challenges in its criminal investigations due to the absence of an on-site medical examiner. This gap in resources has forced investigators into dual roles, slowing down critical investigations into missing and murdered persons.
During a recent presentation to the Navajo Nation Law and Order Committee on March 16, the Department of Criminal Investigations highlighted both progress and setbacks, primarily due to funding issues. A U.S. Department of Justice-funded DNA program has helped identify several missing individuals, but the lack of a dedicated medical examiner and crime lab has hindered further progress.
The Navajo Nation took a significant step in 2018 by passing a resolution to create a Department of Medical Examiners, tasked with investigating suspicious deaths. Yet, this position remains vacant.
Eugenia Charles-Newton, chairwoman of the Law and Order Committee, attributed the vacancy to insufficient funds to offer a competitive salary for a medical examiner. Consequently, the nation relies on the Coconino County Health and Human Services Medical Examiner’s Office in Flagstaff for these services.
Efforts to secure more funding from Indian Health Services (IHS) have seen little advancement, according to Charles-Newton. The committee aims to establish a 638 contract, which would allow the tribe to manage federally funded programs.
IHS has stated that a medical examiner is unnecessary based on low in-facility death counts, a claim disputed by the committee as it overlooks homicides and deaths occurring outside hospital settings. IHS did not provide comments when approached by Cronkite News.
May 5 marks the National Day of Awareness for Missing and Murdered Indigenous Persons, underscoring the continued grief and resilience of Indigenous communities.
Charles-Newton noted that investigators are burdened with dual responsibilities, saying, “When people go missing, instead of their focus being on the people going missing, their priority becomes having to respond to death investigations.”
Dale West, a criminal investigation supervisor with the Shiprock branch of the NDCI, confirmed that investigators have had to take on the roles of both crime scene analysts and certifiers of death causes. This dual responsibility has been a significant challenge for the team.
West has been vocal about these staffing issues with federal agencies, including the IHS, Bureau of Indian Affairs, and Congress, yet only three of the eight necessary positions are filled at his office.
“People are going to be working as hard as they can and to the best of their ability, but there’s no way to be able to help everybody in a timely manner,” West said. “We either need additional funding … or you need to separate the duties.”
The Navajo Nation collaborates with various external entities, such as the University of North Texas Center for Human Identification and the New Mexico Office of the Medical Investigator, to manage DNA testing and other investigative tasks. Heather Edgar, a forensic anthropologist, pointed out the challenges posed by limited resources and coordination issues among Native law enforcement agencies.
“All of those agencies are probably strapped for resources and they’re working really hard on current cases,” Edgar said. “They need appropriate funding so that they can be timely and responsive.”
Charles-Newton expressed hope for a partnership with IHS to alleviate the workload on current investigators. “Navajo Nation is willing to assist in paying for the portion of the medical examiner’s position, but we need help,” she stated, emphasizing the need for shared responsibility.
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