Another Indigenous Woman Goes Missing In Mountain West

Yet another Indigenous woman has gone missing in the Mountain West.

Jermaine Charlo disappeared near a grocery store in Missoula, Montana last month. The 23-year-old is the 13th native woman to go missing in the state since January.

“Each day that goes by is more concerning that her welfare is compromised or she’s in a situation that’s not a good one for her,” said detective Guy Baker of the Missoula Police Department.

Native American women face some of the highest violence and sexual assault rates in the country, but there is no nationwide tally of the number of missing or murdered Indigenous women in the U.S. because the Federal Bureau of Investigation isn’t really tracking it.

This story was produced by the Mountain West News Bureau, a collaboration between Wyoming Public Media, Boise State Public Radio in Idaho, Yellowstone Public Radio in Montana, KUER in Salt Lake City and KRCC and KUNC in Colorado.

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