Washington State

Office of the Attorney General

Attorney General

Bob Ferguson

The Washington State Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and People (MMIWP) Task Force will assess systemic causes behind the high rate of disappearances and murders of indigenous women and people. The team will support the 23-member task force, and produce two reports to the Governor and Legislature in August 2022 and June 2023 to report the task force’s findings. The task force will include tribes and tribal organizations, as well as state and local policy makers. The December 2023 Interim Report is available here. The August 2022 Interim Report is available here.

Twenty-three members have been appointed to the MMIWP Task Force:

  • Senator Manka Dhingra
  • Senator Nikki Torres
  • Representative Debra Lekanoff
  • Representative Gina Mosbrucker
  • Executive Secretary Charlene Tillequots, Yakama Nation
  • Councilmember Anna Bean, Puyallup Tribe
  • Councilmember Anita Mitchell, Muckleshoot Tribe
  • Afton Servas, Kalispel Tribe
  • Yvonne Cagey, Lummi Nation
  • Abigail Echo-Hawk, Seattle Indian Health Board
  • Maureen Rosette, NATIVE Project
  • Laura Platero, Northwest Portland Area Indian Health Board
  • Vicki Lowe, American Indian Health Commission
  • Patricia Whitefoot, Community Member, Yakama Nation
  • Carolyn DeFord, Community Member, Puyallup Tribe
  • Craig Bill, Governor’s Office of Indian Affairs
  • Patti Gosch, Washington State Patrol
  • Lucy Smartlowit, Washington State Attorney General’s Office
  • Sam White, Chief of Police, Lower Elwha Klallam Police Department
  • Councilmember Jani Hitchen, Pierce County Council
  • Councilmember LaTrisha Suggs, City of Port Angeles
  • Aubony Burns, Senior Deputy Prosecuting Attorney, King County Prosecutor’s Office
  • Steven Merrival, Washington Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers

Upcoming MMIWP Task Force Meetings: 

Links to view the meetings and more information will be posted closer to the meeting date


Previous MMIWP Task Force Meetings: 

Public Comment Guidelines
Public Comment Registration


We are committed to raising awareness about missing and murdered indigenous people in Washington State. If you have a relative who is missing or who has been the victim of an unresolved homicide and you would like the Attorney General’s office to share their story on social media, please send flyers and information to mmiwp@atg.wa.gov.

Please note that this inbox is not monitored by law enforcement or any investigative agency.

Per the state's public records act, please be aware that all correspondence submitted to the Attorney General's Office will become public record, and that under state law, public records are subject to public disclosure requests, and may be seen by other people.


Washington State Patrol Missing Indigenous Person Alerts

To sign up for Missing Indigenous Person Alerts please visit:

https://www.wsp.wa.gov/media/subscribe/

  • Email is required
  • Select “Missing Indigenous Person Alert” in the drop down menu

If you are a family member of a missing person and would like their photo to be included on the Washington State Patrol Missing Person’s website, please contact:

Missing and Unidentified Persons Unit
mupu@wsp.wa.gov
(800) 543-5678

Or the WSP Tribal Liaison
Dawn Pullin
dawn.pullin@wsp.wa.gov
(360) 890-0150


MMIWP Cold Case Unit

In 2023, in part in response to recommendations from the Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and People Task Force, the Washington Legislature created and funded an MMIWP Cold Case Unit within the AGO. The purpose of the team is to review and attempt to solve missing person and cold homicide cases involving persons of indigenous ancestry, whose go missing and are murdered at a higher rate than other demographics. The team investigates these cases with the consent of the local law enforcement agency of jurisdiction. It is the first unit of its kind in the nation.


Staff contacts: