The sister of a missing Blackfeet woman in Montana expressed frustration Wednesday over law enforcement’s initial response to her loved one’s disappearance, telling U.S. senators that numerous Native American families are troubled by inadequate investigations into their missing persons cases.
The prepared testimony from Kimberly Loring was part of a hearing held by the U.S. Senate Committee on Indian Affairs in Washington to examine what authorities call a “silent crisis” — the deaths and disappearance of hundreds of Native American women.
Sen. Tom Udall, a Democrat from New Mexico, said factors compounding the crisis include poor coordination among the multiple law enforcement agencies tasked with investigating crimes on Indian reservations.