The disproportionate violence against Indigenous people is deeply felt on and around the reservation, where families must become their own investigators. Words and photography by Wayan BarreOn a cold January evening in 2021, Joey Apachee, a Navajo father of two, set out to meet a friend near the water tower in Steamboat, Arizona. Hours later, he was found beaten to death. However, despite a confession from a suspect, no trial has taken place. Joey’s father Jesse Apachee, a retired police officer, says the family feels abandoned by the Navajo Nation’s justice system.Indigenous people experience violence at alarmingly high rates. According to the Urban Indian Health Institute, in some parts of the US, Indigenous women are murdered at a rate 10 times higher than the national average. Additionally, 10,123 Native American people were recorded as missing in 2022, though the real tally is probably higher due to inconsistencies in reporting and data collection. In recent years the crisis ha...
A photo essay highlights the Missing and Murdered Indigenous Relatives (MMIR) crisis within the Navajo Nation, where families are often forced to investigate the disappearances and deaths of their loved ones due to inadequate support from law enforcement. The Navajo Nation reported 73 missing individuals as of February 2024, with men and boys increasingly affected by the crisis.
