Dateline NBC - The Secrets of Spirit Lake

Episode Date: August 31, 2021

A woman who helps solve cases searches for her missing niece and pushes for change as part of the growing movement to save missing and murdered Indigenous women. Andrea Canning reports.Find resources to help stop violence against indigenous women: https://www.nbcnews.com/dateline/mmiw-how-help-how-get-help-n1277833

I'm Lester Holt. Tonight on Dateline, a young woman goes missing on a North Dakota reservation. Her aunt will stop at nothing to find her. Her father always told me to keep an eye on her. You had made a promise to him. Yeah, to make sure she was okay. I was going to find her. You just knew, as her mom, that something was very wrong. Yes, I did.

There was a report that she'd been in a silver car. I knew that she was probably in trouble. You get a call from a blocked number. Yes. You need to get honest with me because I'm done playing. Well, I've been only honest with you. She would kind of turn it on and try to get some truth out of him. I'll keep digging and digging.

There are so many unsolved cases out there. Indigenous women and girls across the nation. It's hard, Red Jean, to really think about how we are invisible. I don't want another family to ever feel like how we felt. Here's Andrea Canning with The Secrets of Spirit Lake. There's been a lot of sacrifice that went with this on a personal level, you know. But you're never done. I'm never done. Her name is Lissa Yellowbird. Her job defies description.

Investigator, interrogator, searcher of last resort. The one people turn to in their very worst moments. This is backbreaking. This is 24-7. This is you living and breathing this. Constantly. Here is where Lyssa works. Sacred lands teeming with beauty. But woven into the landscape are crimes that have gone on for years, even centuries. Native American women and girls missing and murdered. More than 300 reservations make up what's still known as Indian country in America.

And in this country, the statistics are staggering. According to Department of Justice findings, four out of five Native American women have experienced violence in their lifetimes. And a CDC study found homicide rates for Native American women were almost three times those of non-Hispanic white women. This is 2021. We're demanding our rights to be heard. Lissa Yellowbird and many others believe that too often cases are neglected by law enforcement. They say action is long overdue. Who protects us? We protect us! The numbers, the victims, have sparked a movement called MMIW.

It's called Missing Murdered Indigenous Women, and it's a cry for help. Lynette Grable wants the world to hear that cry. She's an activist and survivor who lives on the Wind River Reservation in Wyoming. I'm a full-blooded Native American woman, and the statistics that hang over my head is that I am the most stalked,

raped, sexually assaulted, and murdered out of every ethnicity in this country. It's really tragic and eye-opening. It's heart-wrenching to really think about the measure of how we are invisible to America. She says Native American women are trying to make themselves visible with events like the annual National Day of Action. No more stolen sisters!

No more stolen sisters! If a white woman goes missing in a fancy neighborhood somewhere versus an indigenous woman who goes missing off a reservation, are they going to get the same attention? Absolutely not. And even in this day, in this present time, they will not get the same attention. In this ongoing tragedy, Lissa Yellowbird found her calling. She decided she would dedicate herself to searching for missing and murdered Native American women. She began in her home state of North Dakota.

And now, from the Great Plains to the Southwest, she uses whatever method, whatever tool will bring a loved one home. I just don't want families to feel like they're all alone. She knows that feeling firsthand. Because after years of helping others, the crisis hit home for Lissa when her own niece, Carla Yellowbird, went missing. Me and her father were so close. He always told me to keep an eye on her, help her out, don't forget her. You had made a promise to him. Yeah.

What was that promise? To make sure she was okay. Yeah. That's it. It was August 2016. Carla suddenly stopped texting and calling. It didn't sit right with Carla's mother, Loretta, and her sister, Carrie. We tried to contact as many friends or people.

She hung up and around, and nobody heard from her. Then that's when it started getting scary. I started kind of thinking something bad happened, because it wasn't like her to go out like this long without talking to somebody. Carla had been living in the central North Dakota town of Mandan. Detective April Bowman of the Mandan Police Department was assigned to Carla's case. Do you deal with a lot of missing persons cases? We do. We have quite a few.

Carla's roommate told investigators where Carla may have gone the day she stopped communicating. She said that she was going to St. Michael's, and she didn't know when she'd be back. Is that a town? It is. It's a town on Spirit Lake. Spirit Lake is a reservation that spans 400 square miles about three hours northeast of Mandan. Detective Bowman, like most local law enforcement,

didn't have the jurisdiction to investigate a case involving tribal members on reservation land. Most reservations have their own police forces, but the Bureau of Indian Affairs, the BIA, a division of the Department of the Interior, is also involved in tribal law enforcement. The roles of the BIA, tribal police, and local cops can be confusing, especially to the distraught families of missing women. Back in Mandan, Detective Bowman gave the BIA office on Spirit Lake a call.

She says no one called her back. Does this complicate things when you have all these jurisdictional issues with reservations and cities and everyone's trying to work together and it doesn't always go so smoothly? Absolutely. You're waiting for key pieces of your investigation that have to come from somebody else. And that could be right away, that could be several days, but you're waiting. Carla's mom Loretta waited too, anguished over her daughter's disappearance. What's that like as a mom waking up every day and she's still not calling? I'd cry every night to find answers or, you know, hear something, but... But nothing.

You just knew, as her mom, that something was very wrong. Yes, I did. Carla was out there. Somewhere. Maybe alone. If anyone knew how to find her, it was her Aunt Lissa. When we come back, the mission to find Carla Yellowbird. There was a report that she'd been in like a silver car.

Investigators uncover the first clues and Aunt Lissa gets to work. I'll keep digging and digging. It wasn't even a question. It was, I was wonderful to have. She was very smart. Was Carla the kind of person, like, when she walked in the room, you knew she had arrived? Yeah.

Yeah, she was really outgoing and just happy, Was Carla the kind of person, like, when she walked in the room, you knew she had arrived? Yeah. Yeah, she was really outgoing and just happy, and everyone just enjoyed being around her. She was always there for us and watched over us, and she was a good, best big sister. Carla's mom, Loretta, and sister, Carrie, recall how loving she was. That went for extended family, too. When it came to Carla's relationship with her Aunt Lissa, they had their own kind of fun. She had this big gaudy ring on, and when she put her hand up, I was like, oh my God. I was like, lose the ring. That looks horrible. What did she say? She was like, why? She asked, do you want it?

No, they go, heck no. Carlyn rolled in college, had children, and got married. But her once promising life fell apart. Drug has got a hold of her. You must feel helpless as a parent. Oh, yes, I did. And, you know, she tried, you know, she put herself into, you know, treatment. How proud were you of her that she did go into treatment and that she did try?

Very. That's why I'd go see her. You know, she was happy. She made some friends and but when she got out, it's still like, like she never went in there. It got a hold of her again, the drugs. Yeah. For Lissa, Carla's story, like so many other Native American women's, echoed her own. Carla had gone down a bad path. She went down the same path I went down.

How close to home was that hitting for you? Well, I could count the number of times that I could have ended up in that same predicament. Lissa's life has been a seesaw of success and hardship. A proud member of four tribes. Mandan, Hidatsa, Arikara, MHA Nation, and the other one is Standing Rock. She says as a teen, her boyfriend trafficked her for sex. Still, she made it to college and had good jobs. But she also battled addiction and served just over two years in prison on drug charges.

Your history is kind of amazing. I mean, you're a mother of six. You have been to prison, but you've also studied criminal justice, worked as a prison guard, a welder, a social worker, and been a legal advocate. How have all these things prepared you for this? I don't know, but they sure come in handy. She took on her first case just weeks after her release from prison. A young neighbor disappeared and Lissa mobilized family and friends to look for her.

They found the girl alive. From there, people kept asking for help, and she hasn't stopped searching. I'll sit there and I'll keep digging and digging. The digging has paid off. Over her years of searching, Lissa has helped locate dozens of people. Some came home alive. Many others did not. But most families were grateful for answers. That was certainly the case with a young mother named Olivia Lone Bear who disappeared.

She was last spotted in a pickup truck. Lissa followed a hunch to a lake on the Fort Berthold Reservation and took her boat out with volunteers and sonar gear. And we went across the bay and this little girl says, do you think this is the truck? And I looked at it and I was like, oh my God. Submerged in 21 feet of water, Olivia's body strapped in the passenger seat.

Tough first is Olivia's uncle. Alyssa brought so much closure, you know. I'm still so indebted to her. I'm so grateful to her that, you know, what she does, you know. Alyssa says every recovery, every search, has taken a toll. There's times that I'll never get back. You know, with my family, my kids are all grown now. All those sacrifices would steal her for the hardest fight of her life. The search for her own niece, Carla. Mid-September 2016, Detective Bowman was tracking down tips she'd received about Carla's case.

There was a report that she'd been in like a silver car and she'd been hanging out with Suna, Dakota and Daylon. Suna Guy, Dakota Charbonneau and Daylon St. Pierre. All three had lengthy criminal records. All three resided on the Spirit Lake Reservation. Bowman contacted tribal police. She says they never put her through to the investigator on the case, just told her they'd talked with Suna, and he said he hadn't seen Carla. If Bowman wanted to interview Suna herself, she couldn't,

since she had no jurisdiction to interview tribal members on the reservation without BIA, tribal police, or FBI approval, which she had not received. For Carla's Aunt Lissa, it was time to step in. It wasn't even a question of if I was going to find her. It was just I was going to find her. Coming up. If there's a way I can help anybody, I try. Someone reaches out to Lissa, a new source with a secret. Did you believe him? No. When Lisa Yellowbird watched and waited as law enforcement searched for her niece Carla.

As day after day went by with no answers, Lisa grew impatient. When something is hitting that close to home for you, then how do you kick into action? Well, I just, I put my poker face on and dealt with it like I did any other case. Like so many times before, she stepped in, this time for her own family. She took it all into her herself and got it rolling. To start, Lissa needed her sources to talk. She could work the phones, knock on doors, walk the prairies. But out here, where cell service is non-existent in some areas, the most effective way to communicate can be through social media. And Lissa had a massive network of followers

she could tap into. What's the first thing you do? I went to social media, really. I put a call out saying that Carla's missing. Lissa knew from previous cases, people who might be reluctant to talk to police were often willing to talk to her. Talking to you, for some people, I would assume, is so much easier than talking to a detective or a federal agent. Yeah, yeah, I believe that. Lissa contacted everyone she could on the reservation

and was able to pinpoint the owner of that car Carla was seen in. It was the father of Suna Guy, one of the three men Detective Bowman couldn't interview because they lived on the reservation. Lissa reached out to the detective to compare notes. I did spend some time letting her know that I was a relative, that I kind of work on this arena anyway.

Please share as much information with me as you can. For Detective Bowman, Lissa was a welcome hand. All help is good help. The more people looking, the easier this case gets resolved. The case, the detective explained,

had become daunting in size and scope. She also told me that this basic search area was spanning five states and three reservations. Detective Bowman had worked most of her leads. The only ones remaining were those three men. Her hands were tied because she was stuck in Mandan. This was no surprise to you. Jurisdiction. But Lissa is not a cop, not constrained by jurisdictions or what she's allowed to say or do. My hands are not tied. I will go find her. She used Facebook to blast out what she knew. Once I got information and I had some names,

I put that out there. Now, all her followers knew the names of the men she thought were somehow involved in Carla's disappearance. She waited for a response. Then, her phone rang. Why is my name being put in stuff when I don't even know what's going on?

You get a call from a blocked number. Yes. Who is it? Suna. Suna Guy, one of the men with whom Carla was last seen. And Suna seemed ready to talk. Lissa hit record on her phone. If there's a way I can help anybody, I try.

I'm not a bad guy, you know what I mean? Lissa's strategy? Just listen to Suna. She wanted to build trust. Like I said, I mean, I don't got nothing to hide. Lissa thought if she was patient, Suna might start telling her his story. I didn't even get to see her or nothing. Other than when she got in the car. What was Suna's story? He said that he gave a ride to Carla's brother-in-law and Carla and took them up to Spirit Lake. And he kept going?

Yeah. I mean, he didn't see her again. Did you believe him? No. Well, I sure could use your help finding my niece. Well, I mean, most definitely. Like I said, I mean, sorry I'm not trying to be an a**hole or anything, but it's not like I'm a boy out of my way. FBI Special Agent Jared Birchler also worked on Carla's case. What did you think as you're listening to these calls? She did a great job of building trust with him, building a rapport.

What, I mean, if I come across and hear anything, once I hear it, I'll contact you, you know what I mean? After more than 30 minutes, Suna ended the conversation. Lissa had no phone number for Suna, no way to reach him. All she had was a questionable promise that he'd call again. Was that the end of this? Far from it. Coming up. You need to get honest with me because I'm done

playing. You were like a one woman good cop, bad cop. She would kind of turn it on and try to get some truth out of him. Would it work? Carla Yellowbird had vanished into the North Dakota wind. Her loved ones held out one last bit of hope she was still alive. But Lissa Yellowbird's experience searching for missing women told her that time had run out for her niece. For her, this was now a recovery mission. Whatever it takes to bring her home.

Lissa felt in her bones that Suna Guy, despite his claims to the contrary, knew what really happened to Carla. Something wasn't sitting right for you. Well, it was BS. I knew that. She wanted to talk more with Suna, so Lissa turned to Facebook yet again. But this time, she focused on Suna.

It made him angry enough to pick up the phone again. In their previous call, Lissa tried to build a bond with Suna. Now she came at him full throttle. Lissa's strategy was to show Suna how angry she was, to intimidate him into giving up more details. You tell me where my niece's body is at, and I'll let God f***ing reckon with you, okay? Because we already know how it's gone down. And I'm telling you right now, you don't know who to trust, because your own friends are turning on you. I don't even know what anybody's even talking about.

Are you trying to rattle him? Well, he's questioning his own self about who he really is as a person. What do you want me to say to you? What do you want me to say to you? What do you want me to... The truth. How about let's try for the truth?

You were like a one-woman good cop, bad cop. I never heard that one before. Kind of fits though, right? Kind of. You know what? When you want to get honest, you want to get f***ing real and you want to try and save your own ass, call me back. But until then, I'm f***ing done, okay? Lissa hung up the phone. It was an impulsive move. Maybe the wrong move. She'd just have to wait and see. Lissa updated Carla's mom, Loretta. How much of all this that was going on is Lissa sharing with you?

She shared with me everything. His whole conversation was a lie. He was just lying and pure lying. Mandan police were still running a parallel investigation, but Detective Bowman said she wasn't hearing back from the Bureau of Indian Affairs. You've reached out, you're not getting calls back. I'm not, yeah, I'm not getting the information I need back. How frustrating is that? It's really frustrating. Bowman documented her calls to the Spirit Lake BIA office in her investigative report. However, when we contacted the BIA, we were told that the BIA agent assigned to the case

had no knowledge of Detective Bowman's attempts to reach its offices. Lissa says she also called the BIA and left messages. Why are you not searching for her? You know, and what are you guys doing? Who's doing what? You didn't feel like they were doing enough. They weren't doing anything to begin with. Yeah. That's just kind of how they operate.

The BIA told us that in Carla's case, BIA agents assisted the FBI with search efforts on foot and with helicopters, drones, and ATVs. But Lissa was not counting on the BIA to find Carla. Suna was still her biggest lead, but she'd hung up on him. Did you think then, I'm never going to hear from him again? No.

Turned out, she was right. Hello, Lissa? Who's this? He called you back? He did. The power dynamic had shifted. Suna was seeking her out, seemed to want to tell her something. You know, I'm just trying to help you.

Lissa kept the pressure on. She needed Suna to feel guilty. You're not trying to help me. So were you kind of betting on his conscience that eventually he would do the right thing? I knew he would. Lissa's demands for answers wore away at a now-defensive Suna. And you know what? I can have pity on you. I can have pity on you, but I want my niece's body.

You know, my parents did raise me right. I come from a great family, you know what I mean? All this time, Suna is telling you he wants to help, that his parents raised him right. And she just kept turning up the heat. And Suna would go on, and she would listen to him, and then she would kind of turn it on and try to get some truth out of him. But after too many sleepless nights, fatigue caught up with Lissa.

I was just tired and exhausted and spent. The breaking point for Lissa came as Suna told her his life was in danger. Men from out of state were following him. The license plates are text license plates. I've seen that. Well, give me the license plate number. I'll look it up for you. It's incoming. Oh, looking for these guys. Suna had spun so many stories, so many lies. This was one too many for Lissa.

I maniacally thought that was funny at some point. Suddenly, every word he said made her laugh. I called for Tom PD to even tell him about this, and he ain't even concerned about it. Do you know what I mean? I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I didn't realize what I just said.

Oh. Yeah. You might think Suna would be offended. I was out of line for that. I just didn't think that. But no, it seemed to knock him into some sort of reality. That was the turning point for him.

He was almost persuaded by your laughing and your sense of humor. Yeah. Suna was about to give it all up. Coming up. You still had that little tiny glimmer of hope. I mean, it's just something you don't ever want to hear in your life. A new revelation from Suna. But is he now in danger too? He's absolutely convinced that he's being monitored.

When Dateline continues. Too often in this vast, unforgiving land, all Lissa Yellowbird can hope for in her searches is to find a body. A suspect, let alone a cooperative one, is all too rare. And then there was soon a guy. He was calling again. Good afternoon. And he had cracked. I'm just very late tomorrow afternoon. Why?

I'm on the floor. I've got everything clear with you. Oh, yeah? After all those wrenching hours on the phone, Suna now said he'd take Lissa to Carla's body. You're too good of a lady, and I'm not going to lie to you. He admitted to what Lissa had long believed.

Carla was dead. Suna insisted he didn't pull the trigger, but he said in the aftermath, Dakota Charbonneau and Daylon St. Pierre demanded he help no dead body. I wasn't going to grab it. And I'm just like, what the f***, huh? And I know where the body's at.

I know who the individual that did. Did he explain to you the motive? Yeah, the drugs, the money. So they had stolen her money and her drugs? Mm-hmm. Why kill her? Why not just steal it and money and her drugs? Mm-hmm. Why kill her? Why not just steal it and just leave her there? The intention was to rob her.

It didn't go as planned, obviously. And when it happened the way it did, he claims that it was just as big of a shock to him. I didn't know that was going to happen. It should never happen. Alyssa called me. That's when she told me, you know, they might know where she's at. And then I just said, you know, is she alive?

And she was like, no. So you still had that little tiny glimmer of hope. Even though I knew, but it's still when she told me no, it was like, my God, I started, you know, really crying. And I mean, it's just something you don't ever want to hear in your life. This was your firstborn? Yes. So I didn't think, I mean, I didn't want it to ever to be true, but.

In Mandan, Detective Bowman had also spoken on the phone with Suna that day. He told her he feared the men involved in Carla's murder were now after him. He's absolutely convinced that he's being monitored, too. He's just very paranoid at this point. Boman thought Suna could well be in danger. This is a monumental moment in this case, and you need help. I know that the FBI can cover everything. They can go anywhere, and so I need the FBI.

The FBI is responsible for investigating major crimes on reservations. Special Agent Birchler had been in contact with Detective Bowman about Carla's disappearance. On the day Bowman found out that Suna had turned, Birchler's team was out on the reservation with the BIA and a helicopter looking for Carla. Birchler thought they needed to bring Suna in that night, but it turned out that wouldn't be so easy.

Suna was hiding, and he even shut off his phone. His phone couldn't be located. He went completely off the grid. Were you starting to get worried as he's not responding now? He's stopped communicating Were you starting to get worried as he's not responding now? He's stopped communicating? Absolutely starting to get worried that he's kind of going to lead us on a wild goose chase. Nevertheless, the next day,

Lissa and Detective Bowman headed up to Spirit Lake to connect with Birchler's team. All of them counting on Suna's promise to take them to Carla's body. As you're pulling up to Spirit Lake, how are you feeling? I was just feeling like I was in full anticipation. I just wanted to hurry up and get this over with and make sure it was her. But Suna wasn't there. FBI agents eventually found him at a relative's house. Suna got into an FBI vehicle, and they drove a few miles down the road.

This is where Suna led you to? This is the spot, yep. An isolated field on the reservation. It's kind of surreal, I think, at this moment. We've got three or four or five law enforcement vehicles coming out here. Suna gets out of the car, we're all walking. It's kind of anticipation has kind of built up to this moment. We're probably right around this area and we kind of stop and Asuna just points and he says it's going to be over there and where the bushes are.

And then as we walk a little bit further, once we get to a certain point in time, we can see some of Carla's clothes. You could see the body from here? Yeah, we could see, we probably walked up a little bit further, and then we could see some of those bright colored clothes. So you knew, you knew you'd found her? We knew we had found her at that point in time. And this is kind of the point where Suna gets a little choked up. He becomes a little emotional. And that's when Suna says, you know, this wasn't supposed to happen. Lissa waited at a house nearby. Later, the agents brought photos and she ID'd the body. First thing that I noticed was that ring. There was that ring. The big gaudy ring. Wow. She still had it on. I looked at the ring. I mean, it was right there. And just to see the condition she was in, definitely not my first time seeing anybody in that condition.

But it was your niece. You know, I guess I have never felt like I had such an open wound, like in the middle of nowhere with seeing somebody you care about just discarded like that. They discarded her. They just left her. Then, Lissa made the awful call to Loretta to tell her they'd found Carla's body. The news came as a sad relief. Did it help you knowing that she was coming home? That you wouldn't have to wonder anymore where she was or what happened?

Yes, that made me feel better that at least I knew where she was and that, yes, I got to bring her home. You need to continue looking for them. For so many other Native American mothers, bringing their missing children home is something they can only hope for. But some think there's new reason for hope. It's been a sad history, and so we're trying to change it.

Coming up, in court, a surprise that would divide Carla Yellowbird's family. You actually spoke on behalf of Suna. Why would you do that? And so many forgotten families. Is change coming at last? We're seeing some action on it right now. The story of Carla Yellowbird was in many ways tragically routine. A Native American woman goes missing and later turns up dead. What was unusual in Carla's case was that her killers were brought to justice. Dale in St. Pierre said he hit Carla on the head with a gun and it accidentally discharged. He pleaded guilty to felony murder and related charges and was sentenced to 27 and a half years.

Dakota Charbonneau pleaded guilty to second-degree murder for aiding and abetting the killing. He was sentenced to 50 years in prison for Carla's murder and other charges. As part of a plea deal, Suna Guy was sentenced to 15 years for second-degree murder and related charges. You came face-to-face with Suna Guy? Yes, I did. What did he say to you? He just told me he was sorry and I didn't want to listen to him. Did you say anything to him?

Well, I just was happy that he showed where my daughter was. There was a surprise witness at Suna's sentencing. You actually spoke on behalf of Suna. Why would you do that when Suna was a part of something that was so horrific? First of all, Suna did not plot to kill Carla. He did not pull the trigger. Without Suna, we would have never got Carla back. Lissa was risking any relationship with Loretta to support Suna, but she wanted to encourage others to come forward as he had. It would send a clear message to the rest of society in Indian country that it is okay to provide information, to give

other people closure. Loretta told us she's grateful to Lissa for helping to find Carla, but she can't forgive her for advocating for Suna. She's spoken out about her feelings on social media. Do you think that you will ever be able to repair things with Lissa? Maybe in time i pray for whoever's out there missing to go change has come slowly for the missing and murdered women's movement but that hasn't stopped those who fight for the cause just the opposite it's up to us to keep law enforcement and the authorities on their toes when it comes to getting justice.

I want all you families that have lost a loved one, I want you to know that you are not alone. We are here with you. Lynette Graybull says they want people everywhere, not just in Indian country, to mobilize for missing and murdered women. We know it's the time to speak up and we know it's the time to fight and we know it's the time to bring light to our issues. As we reported this story, many people like Lynette shared their concerns about law enforcement's handling of crimes against Native Americans. You see this all too often where their daughter's case just isn't being taken

seriously enough. Yes. Or their sister or their mother. Right, exactly, or their sons. And I've heard law enforcement tell the family and even myself that this person is an alcoholic or this person is known to party. And I always cringe when I hear that because that doesn't matter. They're still a human being. The issue with missing and murder is so systemic that there are no easy answers.

You bring such a unique perspective. One thing does bring hope to Native American communities, the appointment of Deb Holland as Secretary of the Interior. In that role, she oversees the BIA, the first Native American to do so. When I see an Indigenous woman missing, I see one of my own sisters or my cousins or one of my aunties or even my own child. I take this obligation freely. Once a single mother on food stamps, Holland put herself through law school and was elected to Congress before being named to the cabinet.

When Indigenous women look at you, what do you hope they see? I've lived that life, and I want their voices to be represented here. Tackling the missing and murdered Indigenous women's crisis is a priority for Secretary Holland. This is a crisis that's been happening in our country since colonization, and it's very, very deep. And so I'm grateful that we're seeing some action on it right now.

In 2019, the Trump administration set up a special task force to address the problem. In 2020, Congress passed Savannah's Act and the Not Invisible Act to improve law enforcement cooperation and to increase the focus on missing and murdered women. Secretary Haaland and the Not Invisible Act to improve law enforcement cooperation and to increase the focus on missing and murdered women. Secretary Haaland and the Biden administration created several new measures, among them a first-of-its-kind missing and murdered unit within the Bureau of Indian Affairs.

Is this kind of a boots-on-the-ground operation where you're going to literally go through case files and go case by case. Absolutely, yes. Boots on the ground is a good way to say that, but yes. In a written statement, the BIA told us it welcomes the additional resources. BIA Office of Justice Services takes seriously each and every case they are working to solve because agents, who are often members of the same tribal community they serve, know that cases aren't just a case file. They represent a family missing a loved one that deserves closure. Secretary Holland says changes to policy and law enforcement are critical,

but so is raising awareness. Not just in Indian country, in the whole country. In some cases, these missing persons cases, the murders, they don't get reported. If they're not reported, nobody knows to investigate them. And that is something that I am very passionate about because families deserve some answers. The Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women's Movement fights for thousands of people. And they are not anonymous. Every one has a name, like Olivia Lone Bear, Ashley Loring

Heavy Runner, Cecilia Barber-Fenona, Joseph Bruce Sr., Faith Hedgepeth, Monica Bersier-Wickery, and Carla Yellowbird. Each one beloved by someone, like Lissa and Loretta, who laid her daughter to rest on the Standing Rock Reservation where Carla was raised. I always go to the cemetery a lot, but I always take the kids out there too. Tom, we're going to go see their mom. How does it feel to be back here? As for Lissa, she went with us to the field where her niece spent her final moments.

You know, I miss Carla. Everybody does. I guess I just try to do the best I can to make sure this doesn't happen to anybody else. Carla represents so many other women. She does. Are you going to keep fighting? Keep searching? For sure. Most definitely.

I don't want another family to ever feel like how we felt. That's all for now. I'm Lester Holt. Thanks for joining us.