BELLINGHAM, Wash. — Tribal leaders, law enforcement and family members gathered in Whatcom County to address what’s become a growing problem for Indigenous women and people. Inside a Washington hotel conference room, there are many tribal members that will tell you that in their world, loss is not uncommon and questions often go unanswered.
“What we believe is that they call to us and they echo and those stories are echoing to us all the time and reminding us that they’re gone,” said Erin Roff Tribal the senior tribal policy manager for the Attorney General’s Office of Washington state and a member of the Cowlitz Indian Tribe.
State statistics show Indigenous women are murdered at rates 10 times the national average in some jurisdictions.
For two days in Whatcom County, law enforcement, tribal members and representatives from the state Attorney General’s Office are focused on one issue – missing and murdered Indigenous women and people.
"I’m here because I’m angry that we have not solved a lot of our cold cases – I’m here because I feel my people need a voice and I feel like we need better coordination and answers for our families,” said Rosalee Revey-Jackobs, a Lummi Nation Council member.
Advocates point to progress in recent years.
The establishment of a statewide alert system specifically for Missing Indigenous Person’s and the very task force behind the conference that was established by the Legislature in 2021.
“It’s been an ongoing issue for as long as I can remember,” Revey-Jackobs said.
An issue they don’t want the next generation to grapple with.
“In Indian Country, I would posit that almost all of us know somebody who’s missing or was murdered and their case was not resolved,” said Roff, the tribal policy manager.
For Erin Roff, the missing person in her life is her cousin, Misty Copsey.
“She went missing in 1992. She was walking home for the Puyallup fair and she went missing within an eight mile radius of her home and still has not been found.”
Copsey’s case was recently focused on KING 5’s Unsolved Northwest – Puyallup police are still looking for leads.