A Modern Trail of Tears: The Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women (MMIW) Crisis in the US

In the US, American Indian and Alaskan Native people experience higher rates of violence than all other ethnicities. The purpose of the present research has been to investigate the MMIW crisis, determine the cities with the highest rates of MMIW, and to begin an initial investigation into the root causes for this national crisis. In the present study, missing persons data was analyzed from the National Missing and Unidentified Persons System (NamUs), the National Crime Information Center (NCIC), and from data collected and published in a report produced by the Urban Indian Health Institute (UIHI). Additionally, unidentified persons data was analyzed from NamUs, and data regarding murder cases of indigenous women was analyzed from the UIHI report. Locations with the highest rates of MMIW cases in the country were identified as potential "hot spots". Following the analysis, a total of 23 locations were determined to be "hot spots" for MMIW cases. Of these 23 locations, five were identified as being of the highest priority for intervention due to their disproportionately high rates of MMIW cases. Furthermore, hydraulic fracking across the US seems to be a likely contributing factor in the rate of MMIW cases in nine to 16 of the identified "hot spots". Currently in the US, despite a national movement to raise awareness to the MMIW crisis, there has yet to be any direct actions taken by the federal government to address this issue. The present study has served to identify the primary "hot spots" for MMIW cases and has isolated some key contributing factors to this national problem. In order to most holistically address this issue, actions need to be taken at both the local and federal levels.