SPECIAL REPORT: The search for the missing and murdered Indigenous people continues

13 On Your Side's Vanessa Gongora dives in on the local impact

YUMA, Ariz. (KYMA, KECY) - Every year, thousands of Indigenous people in America go missing, according to the U.S. Department of Interior Indian Affairs.

That number, includes local members of our community.

Members of local Native American tribes have families still wondering, what happened and why.

42-year-old Cynthia Williams from the Colorado River Indian Tribes (CRIT) based in Parker, Arizona went missing in 2016 and was later found dead.

Williams' brother Raymond Meza said law enforcement did not place any importance on the investigation.

"When bad things happen how are you supposed to ask the community for help when the cops are the ones telling you or the department or the investigators saying don't say anything, keep it to yourself, let us do our job. How are we supposed to trust them?" Meza said.

Two people were convicted for her murder, but not until after her family and friends, her community searched for her and fought for justice.

Her family said law enforcement did not have any sense of urgency.

“They let time go by and time really is important. They don't take it serious. Because the reservation is so close knit, everyone grew up with each other, that it's hard for an officer to take this serious. Because when they say so and so is missing they go ah they're just drunk," said Meza.

He said they hesitated on what they were supposed to do for her.

Eventually Jefferey Scott and Sharon Clark were convicted of her murder.

We reached out to Tribal Law Enforcement in Parker for comment.

They sent us a statement saying:

"The Colorado River Indian Tribes and the CRIT Police Department are committed to justice and public safety. The case was prosecuted by the U.S. Attorney’s Office. The two suspects were tried, convicted, and sentenced to 25 years. Because the suspects are non-Indians, federal law requires them to be prosecuted in federal court rather than tribal court."

Meza co-founded a community grassroots group called Stand Strong Together after his sister was murdered.

"The first year we had a community march to capture her killers and to raise awareness and less than a year later, another sister went missing," said Meza.

The organization works to raise awareness about the dangers of being indigenous and to fight for change by organizing marches and speaking to lawmakers.

45-year-old Molina Yazzie referred to as ‘Shaggy’ by friends and family went missing in August of 2017.

Her cousin Katrina Yazzie reflects on what Molina was like.

"She was funny, she was always laughing and joking around," Katrina described.

Molina told family members she was going out with some friends she didn't know very well. Her family warned her not to go and her cousin said she had a ‘bad feeling.'

That bad feeling turned into reality.

"And when they tried to report it to the police. The police said well she's a grown woman she doesn't want to be found and that went on for almost a month until they found her body in a shallow grave in the valley," Meza said.

Friends and family spent three weeks searching for Molina before a local farmer found her body in a field.

Her death was ruled as a methamphetamine overdose by Parker's Tribal Law Enforcement, but her cousin doesn't agree and feels Molina was kidnapped and murdered.

"We were promised a police report like after she passed and it's been five years and we still haven't received a police report," said Katrina.

This community feels law enforcement has failed them, but officials say they have done all they can.

"Because of federally imposed sentencing limits in tribal courts, homicides of tribal members and other Indians, federal authorities take the lead in investigating and prosecuting such offenses. CRIT extends its sympathies to those who have lost loved ones. As CRIT is a small community, the impact of these murders is deeply felt by all of CRIT’s membership, the tribal council, and its police department," wrote the Colorado River Indian Tribes.

Intertribal Warriors United continue spreading awareness of injustices Indigenous people face across the Desert Southwest.

Roxanne Barley, Intertribal Warriors United Administrator said it's important this community has the proper knowledge to protect itself.

"What we wanted to create is say we're here with you. We see you and we will fight for you and we will fight with you. Come with us," Barley said.

All while showing solidarity.

“We wear red because our loved ones see the color red and that's why we wear red. That's why we have the red handprint. The red handprint symbolizes the silence, when women we have this handprint because they're taken, they're vanished, they're gone," explained Barley. "Imagine someone coming up from behind you and just taking you that's what it symbolizes."

The struggles Meza and his community faces is not only getting justice, but finding answers.

"The one thing that we learned through this whole fight is nobody is going to fight harder for your loved one than you," Meza declared.

Every year the number of missing and murdered Indigenous people grows. The impact is felt among local communities who continue to live with the fear of being one of the missing and murdered.

Awareness, education, and solidarity can help.

For the full statement from the Colorado River Indian Tribes read below.

Statement from the Colorado River Indian Tribes

"The Colorado River Indian Tribes and the CRIT Police Department are committed to justice and public safety. 

Those responsible for Cynthia William’s murder, which occurred in March 2016, were arrested in November of that year following an investigation by the FBI, which was assisted by CRIT police. The case was prosecuted by the U.S. Attorney’s Office. The two suspects were tried, convicted, and sentenced to 25 years. Because the suspects are non-Indians, federal law requires them to be prosecuted in federal court rather than tribal court.  

CRIT cannot comment on the Albert Chavez homicide as it remains an open investigation with the FBI. Because of federally imposed sentencing limits in Tribal Courts, homicides of tribal members and other Indians, federal authorities take the lead in investigating and prosecuting such offenses.

CRIT extends its sympathies to those who have lost loved ones. As CRIT is a small community, the impact of these murders is deeply felt by all of CRIT’s membership, the Tribal Council, and its Police Department."