Federal MMIP audit finds staffing shortages, misallocated funds

RAPID CITY—A federal investigation into the Bureau of Indian Affairs’ Missing and Murdered Unit has exposed serious administrative failures, raising questions about whether millions of dollars appropriated to investigate missing and murdered Indigenous persons have been effectively spent.

The September 9 audit by the Department of the Interior’s Office of Inspector General found that nearly half the unit’s positions remained vacant, hundreds of case referrals awaited review, and substantial portions of its funding had been diverted to other law enforcement expenses.

The findings come as the Trump administration attempts to reorganize federal Indian Country law enforcement, expand investigative resources and refocus the unit on its original mission. For families awaiting answers about missing relatives, however, the distinction between administrative reform and investigative results is more than a matter of government accounting.

The Missing and Murdered Unit (MMU) was established in 2021 under President Joe Biden, building upon investigative initiatives begun under President Donald Trump’s Operation Lady Justice in 2019. Its purpose was to provide specialized investigative support for missing persons and unresolved homicide cases involving American Indians and Alaska Natives.

By November 2024, the unit had 83 open cases and nearly 400 pending referrals, according to the audit. Investigators were carrying excessive caseloads while performing administrative duties that further reduced the time available for investigations. Between 2021 and 2024, federal spending on the initiative increased from $12 million to $17 million. Nevertheless, auditors found that 39 percent of the unit’s funding had been redirected to other BIA law enforcement expenses, including vehicle upgrades. Although such expenditures may serve legitimate public safety purposes, they raise questions about whether Congress’s investment in specialized investigations reached its intended destination.

The audit also found serious deficiencies in services provided to victims’ families. In eight of 13 cases examined, assigned agents failed to contact bureau personnel responsible for assisting victims and their relatives. One employee reported that the unit had only two victim specialists nationwide. For families, those shortcomings have tangible consequences.

Peter Martin disappeared from Minnesota’s Fond du Lac Reservation in 2024. His family told the Associated Press that communication with federal investigators effectively stopped after the agent assigned to his case departed in early 2025. Relatives of Kaysera Stops Pretty Places, whose body was discovered near Montana’s Crow Reservation in 2019, reported similar difficulties obtaining information. Her aunt, Grace Bulltail, said an assigned federal investigator had not obtained complete access to local investigative files before being reassigned.

These cases illustrate the difficulties that can arise when investigations cross jurisdictional boundaries and responsibility becomes fragmented among tribal, federal and local authorities. The administration maintains that the audit reflects deficiencies inherited from the previous administration and says it has implemented most of the recommended corrective measures.

In July congressional testimony, Charles Addington, principal director of the BIA Office of Justice Services, reported approximately 1,485 active missing-person entries involving American Indians and Alaska Natives in the FBI’s National Crime Information Center as of June 30. He outlined plans to use DNA analysis, artificial intelligence-assisted investigative tools and improved interagency cooperation to address unresolved cases. The proposed fiscal year 2027 budget includes approximately $11 million and 26 full-time positions for the unit.

Meanwhile, the FBI has expanded Operation Not Forgotten, an investigative initiative launched during the Biden administration in 2023 and continued under Trump. The Justice Department reported that previous deployments had provided investigative assistance in more than 700 cases. The 2026 operation expanded temporary investigative assignments to 11 FBI field offices.

In August, the FBI announced its Voices Not Forgotten initiative, establishing rewards of up to $25,000 for information in qualifying unsolved Indian Country homicide, kidnapping and missing-person investigations.

These developments represent measurable federal activity, although the number of investigations receiving assistance should not be confused with the number of cases successfully resolved. There is also a broader statistical question deserving examination. The existence of approximately 1,485 active missing-person entries does not establish how many involve criminal activity, how many are long-term disappearances, or how current rates compare with those of previous decades. Nor does that figure, standing alone, establish whether Indigenous people disappear at higher rates than comparable populations elsewhere in American society.

Meaningful comparisons require population-adjusted figures, consistent reporting standards, distinctions between missing persons and homicide victims, and reliable historical data. Such analysis is essential to determining the actual scope of the problem, identifying where conditions are deteriorating or improving, and allocating resources accordingly. None of these statistical uncertainties diminishes the obligation to investigate individual cases thoroughly.

For tribal governments, another question concerns whether federal spending would produce better results if more resources were placed directly in tribal police departments. On the Navajo Nation, investigators have described severe personnel shortages, lengthy forensic delays and enormous geographical responsibilities. Federal assistance can provide specialized expertise, but it cannot substitute indefinitely for adequately staffed local police departments capable of responding immediately when someone disappears.

The Inspector General’s findings ultimately present a straightforward accountability test.

Congress appropriated money, federal agencies established specialized programs, and families were promised improved investigations. The public is entitled to know how much money reached investigators, how many cases were resolved, and whether the government delivered the services it promised.

For families still searching, another federal initiative means little unless somebody answers the telephone, follows the evidence and keeps looking.

(James Giago Davies is an enrolled member of OST. Contact him at skindiesel@msn.com)

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