MMIP Task Force Gets a 10 Year Extension. Appointees Named

To address the harrowing issue of missing and murdered Indigenous persons in Montana, Attorney General Austin Knudsen has announced the latest appointments to the Montana Missing Indigenous Persons Task Force.

The MMIP Task Force has been extended for 10 years.

During the 2023 legislative session, Attorney General Knudsen championed Rep. Tyson Running Wolf’s House Bill, extending the task force’s mandate for a decade and securing a full-time program coordinator. This extension is pivotal for setting and achieving long-term goals to combat the crisis.

“I am committed to collaborating with this task force to end the missing Indigenous persons crisis in Montana,” said Attorney General Knudsen. “Our meeting today was productive, and I believe the members are well-prepared to tackle this challenge. Together, we can find the missing and bring them home.”

The appointed MMIP Task Force members include:

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

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Over 30% of Montana's missing people are Native Americans.

Indigenous persons go missing at a disproportionately high rate in Montana, constituting 31 percent of the 1,386 total missing persons cases reported last year. Although Montana law enforcement agencies achieved a 99 percent clearance rate for these cases in 2023, five of the 693 reported missing remain unaccounted for.

The Attorney General also introduced an improved online database in 2021, providing timely and accurate information on missing persons to aid both law enforcement and the public. For a complete list of missing persons in Montana, visit Montana DOJ Missing Persons.