Governor Josh Stein has declared May 5 as a Day of Awareness for Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women to show support and raise awareness on the disproportionate rate of American Indian and Alaska Native women who have disappeared or lost their lives due to acts of violence.
“Today we honor the lives of the Native American women and girls who have been taken from us too soon and pray that those who are missing return safely soon,” said Governor Josh Stein. “It is tragic that this group experiences a disproportionate level of violence, and I am committed to a North Carolina where all are safe.”
American Indians face some of the highest rates of violent crime in the country. In some tribal communities, Indigenous women face murder rates that are roughly 10 times the national average according to a study conducted on behalf of the U.S. Department of Justice. Moreover, many of the crimes committed against American Indian women and girls are associated with domestic and other forms of violence such as sexual assault and human trafficking.
“The violence committed against American Indian women and girls far exceeds the boundaries of our state. This is a widespread issue devastating tribal families and communities across the country,” said NC Department of Administration Secretary Gabriel J. Esparza. “We must continue to band together to keep these communities safe by providing preventative resources and services and helping find justice for the many families and survivors impacted each year.”
Over the past 60 years, North Carolina had approximately 106 missing and murdered cases involving American Indians with 57 percent of those missing being women and girls.
Due to poor data collection, this number is merely a fraction of those crimes considering many go unreported each year. North Carolina has the largest American Indian population east of the Mississippi and is home to eight state recognized tribes including the Coharie, Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians, Haliwa-Saponi, Lumbee, Meherrin, Occaneechi Band of the Saponi Nation,
Sappony and the Waccamaw-Siouan.
Earlier this year, Governor Stein released a proposed budget calling for the General Assembly to fund a new sexual assault cold case unit of experienced officers to assist local police across the state. As Attorney General, Governor Stein worked with law enforcement, scientists, the State Crime Lab, and legislators to end North Carolina’s decades-old rape kit backlog. This action helped to solve a 2021 cold case involving Faith Hedgepeth, a UNC student and member of the Haliwa-Saponi Tribe, who
was murdered at an off-campus apartment. In 2024, the State Crime Lab tested nearly 12,000 kits, which led to over 2,700 DNA matches and 256 arrests.
The NC Department of Administration’s Commission of Indian Affairs is also dedicated to working with state tribal communities to provide resources and education to women experiencing domestic and sexual violence. Support for domestic violence, sexual assault and human trafficking victims is just one of the ways the Commission has advocated for local and regional American Indian concerns since the agency was established by the NC General Assembly in 1971.
“We provide resources including volunteer advocates for tribal populations such as the Coharie, Haliwa-Saponi, Meherrin, Sappony and Waccamaw-Siouan,” said NC Commission of Indian Affairs Director Greg Richardson. “It’s imperative that we not only lend support but be a voice and continue to shed light on this disparity impacting our communities.”
For additional information or resources, visit the Commission of Indian Affairs’ Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault Program
website.
Read Governor Stein’s proclamation and view Secretary Esparza’s video in recognition of Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women Awareness Day.
