Indigenous communities are more likely to have people go missing or experience violence or murder.¹ This crisis is known as Missing and Murdered Indigenous Relatives, or MMIR. There are many other names for this crisis that you might have heard:

• MMIW: Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women
• MMIP: Missing or Murdered Indigenous Persons
• MMIWG: Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls
• MMIWG2S: Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women, Girls, and Two-Spirit

MMIR is the result of generations of forced removal, violence, and land theft that Indigenous people have faced.² Although this crisis affects Indigenous people of all ages, genders, and orientations, women and girls are the most affected. About 1.5 million Indigenous women have experienced violence in their lifetime.²

We hope that each stolen relative will be the last, but if a loved one goes missing, below are some resources that can help:

• To report a missing person: Don’t wait. Contact your local law enforcement or call 911.
• For what to do in the first 72 hours: View the National Indigenous Women’s Resource Center resource called the MMIW Toolkit for Families and Communities.
• For peer support from Natives for Natives: Call, text, or chat online with StrongHearts Native Helpline.
• For MMIR support from your state (where available):
  • Michigan: Dedicated MMIR support is not available. If you have information about current MMIR cases in Michigan, you can call the MMIP Task Force Tipline at 517-284-0008. 
    Please note that this is not a reporting hotline. Contact local or state law enforcement to report a new case.
  • Minnesota: Visit the Missing and Murdered Indigenous Relatives Office website.
  • Wisconsin: Dedicated MMIR support is not available.
  • Illinois: Dedicated MMIR support is not available.

Even when MMIR Awareness Month is over, remembering and honoring our stolen relatives never stops. Together, we can raise our voices in remembrance of those who have passed on and bring national attention to this crisis, taking a step toward making sure our communities remain safe, whole, and healthy.

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Sources 
1.    Missing and Murdered Indigenous People. U.S. Department of the Interior: Indian Affairs. Accessed April 2026. https://www.bia.gov/service/mmu
2.    Missing and Murdered Indigenous People crisis. U.S. Department of the Interior: Indian Affairs. Accessed April 2026. https://www.bia.gov/service/mmu/missing-and-murdered-indigenous-people-crisis