New Mexico MMIP task force reviews funding, support efforts for coming year

The New Mexico Department of Justice’s Missing and Murdered Indigenous Peoples Task Force met March 13 at Acoma Pueblo to discuss funding and support efforts addressing cases involving missing Indigenous people. During the meeting, Kayla Benally spoke about the disappearance of her father, Aaron Mark Bradley, a 68-year-old citizen of the Navajo Nation who was last seen Sept. 6 at a convenience store in Shonto, Arizona, according to reporting by New Mexico In Depth.

State lawmakers approved funding during this year’s legislative session for efforts related to the crisis, including appropriations to the Office of the Medical Investigator for testing human remains and the Crime Victims Reparation Commission, Rep. Charlotte Little, D-Albuquerque from San Felipe Pueblo, said during the meeting. According to New Mexico In Depth, the state budget also extends the task force’s ability to use the remaining $200,000 previously allocated for its operations while members work on funding recommendations and updates to the state’s response plan.