ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — U.S. officials have opened an office in New Mexico dedicated to investigating cold cases involving missing and murdered Indigenous people.
The office in Albuquerque is part of an effort to address violence against Native Americans and Alaska Natives, particularly women and girls. The office is the fourth of seven that are being established across the country as part of the Operation Lady Justice Task Force created via executive order by President Donald Trump in November.
Other offices will be located in Arizona, Alaska and Tennessee. The goal is to develop protocols for law enforcement to respond to missing and slain Indigenous persons cases and to improve data collection.