As US spotlights those missing or dead in Native communities, prosecutors work to solve their cases

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — It was a frigid winter morning when authorities found a Native American man dead on a remote gravel road in western New Mexico. He was lying on his side, wearing only one sock, his clothes taken off and his shoes thrown into the snow.

There were traces of blood on both sides of his body and it appeared he had been hit in the head.

Investigators tracked the man’s steps and collected security camera footage that showed him walking near a convenience store miles away in Gallup, an economic hub in an otherwise rural area bordered by the Navajo Nation on one side and the Navajo Nation on the other. other side through Zuni Pueblo.

Court records show that the images and cellphone records show the victim — a Navajo man identified only as John Doe — was “on a collision course” with the man who would eventually be accused of killing him.

A grand jury has indicted a Zuni Pueblo man on charges of second-degree murder in the Jan. 18 death, and prosecutors say more charges are likely as he is the prime suspect in a series of crimes against Native American men in Gallup, Zuni and Albuquerque. Investigators found several wallets, cellphones and clothing belonging to other men when they searched his vehicle and two homes.

As people plan to gather across the country on Sunday to highlight the disturbing number of disappearances and murders in Indian Country, authorities say the New Mexico case represents the kind of work the U.S. Department of Justice is looking for had strived to identify the missing and murdered indigenous persons. outreach program last summer.

Special teams of assistant U.S. attorneys and coordinators are tasked with focusing on MMIP cases. Their goal: to improve communication and coordination among federal, tribal, state and local jurisdictions in hopes of closing the gaps that have made solving violent crimes in Indian country a generational challenge.

Some of the new federal prosecutors participated in MMIP Awareness Day events. From Arizona’s state capital to a cultural center in Albuquerque and North Carolina’s Qualla Boundary, marches, symposiums, art exhibitions and candlelight vigils were planned for May 5, the birthday of Hanna Harris, who was just 21 when she turned murdered. on the Northern Cheyenne Indian Reservation in Montana in 2013.

Alex Uballez, the U.S. attorney for the District of New Mexico, told The Associated Press on Friday that the outreach program is already paying off.

“Providing bridges between these agencies is critical to seeing the patterns that impact all of our communities,” Uballez said. “None of the borders we have drawn prevent the spillover of impacts on communities – across tribal communities, across states, across the country, across international borders.”

Assistant U.S. Attorney Eliot Neal oversees MMIP cases for a region spanning New Mexico, Arizona, Colorado, Utah and Nevada.

If law enforcement agencies and attorneys talk to each other, other crimes that are often precursors to deadly violence can be prevented. The other pieces of the puzzle are building relationships with Native American communities and making the justice system more accessible to the public, Neal said.

Part of Neal’s job involves reviewing old cases: time-consuming work that may involve locating witnesses and resubmitting evidence for examination.

“We’re trying to flip that script a little bit and give these cases the time and attention they deserve,” he said, adding that communicating with family members about the process is a crucial part for MMIP attorneys and coordinators.

The DOJ also awarded $268 million in grants last year to tribal justice systems to handle child abuse cases, combat domestic and sexual violence, and strengthen services for victims.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Bree Black Horse wore red Thursday as she was sworn in during a ceremony in Yakima, Washington. The color is synonymous with raising awareness about the disproportionate number of indigenous peoples who have been victims of violence.

She prosecutes MMIP cases in a five-state region spanning California and the Pacific Northwest to Montana. Her caseload is in the double digits and she is working with advocacy groups to identify more unsolved cases and open lines of communication with law enforcement.

Black Horse is an enrolled member of the Seminole Nation of Oklahoma and has been an attorney for more than a decade. He said it is unprecedented to have 10 assistant U.S. attorneys and coordinators focusing exclusively on MMIP cases.

“This is an issue that affects not only my community, but my friends and family,” she said. “I see this as a way to ensure that our future generations, our young people, don’t experience the same kinds of inequality and the same kinds of trauma.”

In New Mexico, Uballez acknowledged that the federal government is moving slowly and credited tribal communities for raising their voices, protesting consistently and putting pressure on politicians to improve public safety in tribal communities.

Still, he and Neal say a paradigm shift is needed to undo the public perception that nothing is being done.

The man charged in the New Mexico case, Labar Tsethlikai, appeared in court Wednesday and pleaded not guilty as he stood in chains next to his public defender. A victim advocate from Uballez’s office was also there, sitting with the victims’ family members.

Tsethlikai’s lawyer argued that evidence had yet to be presented linking her client to the alleged crimes outlined in court documents. Assistant U.S. Attorney Matthew McGinley argued that no release would keep the community safe, pointing to cell phone records and DNA evidence that would show Tsethlikai had preyed on people who were homeless or in need of alcohol so he could get his could satisfy sexual desires.

Tsethlikai will remain in custody pending trial as authorities continue their investigation. Court documents list at least ten other victims, along with five newly identified potential victims. McGinley said prosecutors wanted to focus on a few of the cases “to get him off the streets” and prevent more violence.