FBI investigating 170 missing Native Americans in New Mexico, Navajo Nation

(KYMA, KECY/ AP News) - In an effort to address the crisis of missing indigenous people, the FBI has announced it is releasing a list of more than 170 Native Americans it has verified as missing throughout New Mexico and the Navajo Nation that stretches into Arizona and Utah.

FBI officials said at a news conference that the effort is being publicized to help locate the missing individuals, increase transparency and encourage relatives of missing indigenous persons who aren’t on the list to reach out to local law enforcement and file a report.

The project is in addition to the FBI’s continuing efforts to call attention to unsolved indigenous homicides and missing person cases it is investigating.