From left, Kimberly Carlston, Elvira Randall-Carlston, Darlene Gomez and Vangie Randall-Shorty attend the first meeting of the New Mexico Department of Justice’s Missing and Murdered Indigenous People Task Force on Oct. 25. (Photo by Bella Davis / New Mexico In Depth)
Indigenous families with loved ones who have gone missing or been murdered shared their experiences with state officials last week — sometimes through tears — and urged them to do more to confront a crisis that has long impacted communities but received scant attention until recent years.
Their comments came during a listening session held by the Indian Affairs Department Oct. 24 and the first meeting of the New Mexico Department of Justice’s Missing and Murdered Indigenous People (MMIP) Task Force on Oct. 25, both in Albuquerque.
Over a dozen families spoke about longstanding challenges, some of which revolve around law enforcement, including victim blaming and minimal communication with family members. Some expressed frustration with what they see as a lack of transparency from state agencies about the work they’re doing to address the crisis.
One example some families pointed to is uncertainty about whether the 32-member task force will meet publicly.
The meeting of the task force on Oct. 25 began behind closed doors in a hotel banquet room. The plan was to approve bylaws and set meeting guidelines, according to a press release.
Families, other advocates and reporters were admitted afterward for public comment. The session lasted about 50 minutes, and it appeared that everyone who wanted to speak was able to. Family members — including a Diné task force member whose sister, Tiffany Reid, disappeared in 2004 — at times got up from their seats to comfort each other.
At the end of the public comment period, chairwoman Stephanie Padilla (Isleta Pueblo) told the crowd, “It is important to us to hear your voices constantly. I want you to know that you’re welcome in our spaces. I want you to keep showing up. I think that’s what everybody here wants.”
Darlene Gomez, an attorney who represents affected families, asked, “Does that mean all your meetings are going to be open just based on what you said?”
Padilla said task force members “haven’t discussed that” but likely will at the next meeting, tentatively set for December.
‘We share our stories and relive our traumas’
At the start of the session on Oct. 24, Shaniya Decker (Salish/Nakoda/Turtle Mountain Chippewa), the Indian Affairs Department’s new MMIP lead coordinator, shared that she and her family have been affected by the crisis. When Decker was 12, her aunt, Mary Jean, went missing and was found dead a couple weeks later.
“I want you to know my heart is with every family,” Decker said. “I’m very passionate about this issue.”
Following remarks from Decker and other officials, members of the public spoke for two and a half hours. Each person was given about 10 minutes.
Vangie Randall-Shorty (Diné) spoke about her son, Zachariah Juwaun Shorty, who went missing from Farmington on July 21, 2020. His body was found four days later on the Navajo Nation, about 13 miles away from where he was last seen. He died from gunshot wounds.
Zachariah’s case has not been solved. Randall-Shorty said jurisdictional confusion and sparse communication from law enforcement have been constant obstacles. Over the years, she’s organized rallies and attended numerous state meetings, and all of that work, she said, has taken a toll on her mental health.
“We come together at these meetings and we share our stories and relive our traumas,” Randall-Shorty said. “What are you all doing? We come and we do the same thing. We have to do our marches to get your attention. We need to move forward.”
On Oct. 25, Randall-Shorty’s sister, Elvira Randall-Carlston, told task force members that she had a brother-in-law who went missing in 1989 before being found dead.
“This is something that’s been going on for years. This is not something new, and we’ve been talking and talking in circles,” Randall-Carlston said. “When are you guys going to start actually making changes for our people? Because it’s us that are out there doing the footwork. It’s us out there searching. It’s us paying out of pocket.”
Gomez, the attorney, told officials on Oct. 25 about her personal experience that’s driven her advocacy for families.
Her friend Melissa Ann Montoya has been missing since 2001. Montoya, a member of the Jicarilla Apache Nation, was last seen in Dulce but had been living just across the state border in Colorado, and various agencies wasted valuable time trying to decide who had jurisdiction, Gomez said. Montoya was in an abusive relationship at the time she went missing, Gomez said, and there weren’t any resources to help her safely leave.
“She was a tough woman, but she loved the wrong men,” she said.
Becky Martinez (Diné) spoke both days about her brother, Calvin, whose family last heard from him in 2019. She now helps care for Calvin’s son, and she’s struggled to access services for her and her nephew.
Martinez on Oct. 25 pleaded for help finding out what happened to her brother.
“Please do your job,” Martinez told task force members.
Members of the New Mexico Department of Justice’s Missing and Murdered Indigenous People Task Force listen to affected families share their stories on Oct. 25. (Photo by Bella Davis / New Mexico In Depth)
No recording
Indian Affairs Department officials announced the Oct. 24 session after advocates criticized the way they’ve run four meetings this year meant to update the public on their efforts. Public comment wasn’t allowed at the most recent meeting, and virtual attendees weren’t able to see each other.
“One of the reasons that we’re here, and I’m sure many of you know a lot more than I do, is because we’re listening to what you all have said and what people have said about not being able to be heard,” said Indian Affairs Secretary Josett Monette (Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa Indians) at the start of the session.
Officials asked reporters not to record the session, citing families’ privacy. New Mexico In Depth is only publishing names of people who gave the news outlet permission to do so.
Gomez questioned the department’s request. During meetings of a now-defunct task force that Gomez was a member of, attendees who didn’t want to be recorded would make that ask themselves. One of the main reasons many families attend events like the one on Oct. 24 is to get publicity for their relatives’ cases, Gomez said.
“It seems like you’re censoring us, that you don’t want us to tell our story,” Gomez said. “You want to tell your story, but not our story, and I don’t think that’s beneficial for the movement.”