{"id":37666,"date":"2022-10-25T19:03:44","date_gmt":"2022-10-26T01:03:44","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/families-searching-for-loved-ones-bring-criticism-of-law-enforcement-to-first-missing-in-nm-day\/"},"modified":"2022-10-26T01:03:44","modified_gmt":"2022-10-26T01:03:44","slug":"families-searching-for-loved-ones-bring-criticism-of-law-enforcement-to-first-missing-in-nm-day","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/families-searching-for-loved-ones-bring-criticism-of-law-enforcement-to-first-missing-in-nm-day\/","title":{"rendered":"Families searching for loved ones bring criticism of law enforcement to first Missing in NM Day"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Family
Family members of Zachariah Shorty embrace each other at the Missing in N.M. Day event in Albuquerque on Saturday, Oct. 22, 2022, in Albuquerque. (Sharon Chischilly\/For Source NM)<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p>\n

Rose Yazzie said it\u2019s been months since she\u2019s heard any updates about her daughter, Ranelle Rose Bennett. She disappeared in 2021.<\/p>\n

Vangie Randall-Shorty is also waiting for a phone call with new information about her son, Zachariah Juwaun Shorty, who was killed in 2020.<\/p>\n

Two mothers, bound by a trauma, were suddenly in front of the top FBI agent in New Mexico discussing their children\u2019s cases after struggling to navigate a criminal justice system that moves slowly, if at all.<\/p>\n

The last time Rose saw Ranelle, she told her to come over to decorate for her daughter\u2019s birthday.<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd she said, \u2018I\u2019ll be up there mom, because I\u2019ll never miss my daughter\u2019s birthday,\u2019\u201d Rose said. \u201cThen we hugged. She hugged me for a long time. I can still remember that hug. And she had kinda tears in her eyes, but I didn\u2019t think anything of it until I started driving off. And then I was wondering why she held me that long.\u201d<\/p>\n

Saturday\u2019s Missing in New Mexico Day event in Albuquerque was designed, in part, to bring law enforcement face-to-face with people like Yazzie (Din\u00e9) and Randall-Shorty (Din\u00e9), many of whom are critical of their work investigating missing persons or homicide cases. The first-ever gathering succeeded in that way.<\/p>\n

The two women talked directly with Raul Bujanda, the FBI special agent who leads the Albuquerque field office, and they outlined not only the timeline of the investigation but significant errors they\u2019ve viewed during the process.<\/p>\n

\"Rose
Rose Yazzie talks to Raul Bujanada on Saturday afternoon in Albuquerque. (Sharon Chischilly\/For Source NM)<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p>

Yazzie told Bujanda that it took the Navajo Nation Police more than two weeks to complete the missing persons report and more than a month to visit the home where her daughter was last seen on June 15, 2021.<\/p>\n

Yazzie said in the first few weeks her daughter was missing, \u201cI talked to the criminal investigator, and he said there was nothing in the system on that. So another week went by, and he said: Still nothing.\u201d<\/p>\n

She\u2019s also upset that the person Ranelle was last with was arrested on a federal warrant in an unrelated case, and she has yet to be told if that person is a suspect in the disappearance.<\/p>\n

Vangie Randall-Shorty discussed monthslong delays in finding out the circumstances around her son\u2019s death. She was also seeking any updates to the $10,000 reward the FBI is offering, seeking information on an arrest.<\/p>\n

To top it off, she also presented a list of 15 missing persons gathered from families in the Four Corners area \u2013 hours away from Albuquerque by car \u2013 that are also seeking information.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey can\u2019t be here,\u201d Randall-Shorty said. \u201cSomebody\u2019s got to be their voice. I\u2019m not only Zachariah\u2019s voice, but I\u2019m the voice for other families, as well.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Zachariah
Zachariah Juwaun Shorty was killed in 2020. His case is still open with no arrests. (Sharon Chischilly\/For Source NM)<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p>

Bujanda said the FBI would review the cases and respond to the families, \u201cwithin a month\u2019s time. Because to me, they need to have some sort of answer.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIt brings it home and makes it real,\u201d he said. \u201cIf that was your family that went missing or something happened even worse, right? They were murdered, and you knew what it is that happened. And it\u2019s gone years, and you didn\u2019t have any closure. I don\u2019t want that for myself, I wouldn\u2019t want that for you. And don\u2019t I want that for them.\u201d<\/p>\n

Being told they would hear back from the FBI within a month was relieving for both Yazzie and Randall-Shorty.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m glad that they\u2019re finally listening and realizing that this is happening,\u201d Randall-Shorty said. \u201cI hope that this continues, and it\u2019s not just today.\u201d<\/p>\n

What\u2019s next for elected officials and law enforcement leadership is outlined in various studies and publications, such as the strategic plan from the state\u2019s task force on Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Relatives.<\/p>\n

The reform proposals echo what people like Randall-Shorty, Yazzie, and other families have been saying for years: There are problems with consistent communication on active investigations, compassionate and non-discriminatory policing. and some resolution to the jurisdictional issues that hinder justice in these cases.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s just all back and forth,\u201d Yazzie said, between federal agents and tribal police. \u201c\u201cThey just throw it back and forth,\u201d she explained, with each agency saying they\u2019re waiting to hear from the other before they can act.<\/p>\n

\"Rose
Rose Yazzie approaches Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham (right) after the signing ceremony for legislation on missing and murdered Indigenous women Thursday at the Indian Pueblo Cultural Center in Albuquerque on Thursday, Feb. 24, 2022. (Sharon Chischilly\/For Source NM)<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p>

New Mexico Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham said, \u201cInconsistent jurisdictions and issues only exacerbate dark problems\u201d during her opening remarks for the event.<\/p>\n

\u201c\u2018We can\u2019t actually put it together. And while we could argue today, and I hope you will do that, we\u2019ve got to fix that system of jurisdictions where it\u2019s too complicated,\u201d Lujan Grisham told a room of law enforcement from state, local, county, federal and tribal offices.<\/p>\n

Bujanda said the FBI is working to train local law enforcement on technology tools that can be useful in communicating between agencies. He pointed to the FBI\u2019s list of active missing persons cases in New Mexico and the Navajo Nation as one tool that benefits from agencies effectively talking to one another.<\/p>\n

Jurisdictional issues are a severe and common hurdle for Native American communities reporting crimes. However, the Missing in New Mexico Day was set up for all active missing persons cases in the state. According to state police, 984 cases are under investigation.<\/p>\n

The event brought out so many people, Lynn Trujillo with the state\u2019s Indian Affairs Department is already discussing a bigger venue for next year.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf it is bigger, it means that more partners are getting involved. And it means that more families and communities trust us to come out and share their stories and get answers,\u201d Trujillo said.<\/p>\n

Her work on this topic began in earnest with the creation of the state\u2019s MMIWR Task Force. That group \u2013 composed of more than 30 people from tribal nations, victim\u2019s advocates, attorneys, law enforcement and members of the public \u2013 recommended the state establish an annual Missing in New Mexico Day. A measure to make it happen was passed by the Legislature this year and signed into law in February.<\/p>\n

Besides law enforcement, the event also linked families to mental health resources.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s obvious a positive outcome from all of the work by the task force and events like the one Saturday is the community it builds among people facing similar challenges and personal loss.<\/p>\n

For instance Yazzie said she was unaware of the scope of the problem with reporting missing person cases until she sought help for her daughter\u2019s case. She\u2019s found some relief with others who are struggling by sharing experiences and rallying together for the same cause.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt really helps talking to the people,\u201d she said, \u201cto know that you\u2019re not the only person going through this.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n

Resources<\/h4>\n

New Mexico Crisis and Access Line: 1-855-NMCRISIS (662-7474), 24 hours a day, TTY 1-855-227-5485. New Mexico Peer-to-Peer Warmline: 1-855-4NM-7100 (466-7100), Call 7 a.m. \u2013 11:30 p.m., text 6 p.m. \u2013 11 p.m. every day. Language services always available. StrongHearts Native Helpline: 1-844-7NATIVE (1-844-762-8483),Rape Crisis Center of Central N.M. 24- Hour Crisis Hotline: (505-266-7711)The Life Link 24-Hour Crisis Response Line: 1-505-GET-FREE (1-505-438-3733)<\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

officials say they\u2019ll need a bigger venue next year<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":37667,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[28,138],"naviga_topic":[],"class_list":["post-37666","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","tag-headlines","tag-new-mexico"],"acf":[],"author_name":"dh_admin","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/37666","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=37666"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/37666\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/37667"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=37666"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=37666"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=37666"},{"taxonomy":"naviga_topic","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/naviga_topic?post=37666"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}