Lincoln -- Attorney General Hilgers and Grace Johnson, Nebraska’s Liaison for Missing and Murdered Indigenous Persons (MMIP) are sharing an important message in anticipation of Sunday, May 5th which is the National Awareness Day for Missing and Murdered Indigenous Persons. Grace Johnson began serving as Liaison as a member of the Attorney General’s Office in
October 2023. She is an enrolled member of the Oglala-Lakota Sioux tribe.
This is a sobering day for Nebraska, as we have four tribes and three reservations in our state. Every indigenous community in the state has been affected. We want to honor the dignity and value of each member of the Indigenous Population in Nebraska. We hope this day brings about a recognition and remembrance of the people who have gone missing or murdered. These people are not forgotten. We are working towards addressing these cases to reduce these losses to our communities. Every day, we are committed to helping end these terrible crimes against our Indigenous communities. We hope that you will join us in this fight.
In addition to this important message for this day of remembrance, Attorney General Hilgers interviewed Grace about her duties as Liaison. The interview included what unique vulnerabilities and risk factors exist for Indigenous communities, how domestic violence impacts MMIP, who has jurisdiction for pursuing cases, successes in missing individuals being located, and what the public can do to help reduce the crisis of missing and murdered Indigenous persons.
The Unicameral funded this position to improve investigations and reporting for missing and murdered persons in Native communities. Under the supervision and direction of the Bureau Chief of the Criminal Bureau, the Liaison for Missing and Murdered Indigenous Persons coordinates with local, state, tribal, and federal entities in reporting and investigating missing and murdered indigenous persons.
