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Indigenous people make up a large portion of Montana's missing persons, DOJ says

A sign from a Jan. 9, 2019 missing and murdered Indigenous women vigil in Missoula.
MPR

A new report from the Montana Department of Justice shows Indigenous people continue to account for a disproportionate number of missing persons in Montana.

According to the report, Indigenous people accounted for nearly a third of all 2021 missing person reports in Montana, despite only making up roughly 7% of the state’s total population.

There were 650 reports of missing Indigenous people last year, most of them under the age of 18.

About two-thirds of missing Indigenous people were located within a week’s time. As of June of this year, eight Indigenous people remained missing.

Copyright 2022 Montana Public Radio. To see more, visit Montana Public Radio.

Aaron is Montana Public Radio's Flathead reporter.