- Details
- By Elyse Wild
At a recent Southwest Indigenous Women’s Coalition event in Arizona, a woman reached out and literally touched Nicole Wagon (Northern Arapaho), saying she hoped to gain some of Wagon’s strength. For many Indigenous families seeking justice for missing and murdered loved ones, Wagon has become a symbol of persistence and hope.
On Jan. 30, she testified before the Wyoming state legislature supporting a bill to reform missing persons reporting. The bill, which passed today, requires law enforcement to accept credible reports without delay and enter them in state, regional and national databases within eight hours.
Wagon was the sole Native American testifying in favor of the bill, despite Wyoming having some of the highest numbers of Missing and Murdered Indigenous People in the country. “Right now in Wyoming, when a family reports a missing adult, the response they get depends on where they are and who they talk to,” Wagon said during her testimony.
Wagon determination stems from personal tragedy. Her daughters Jade and Jocelyn Wagon, were murdered in the span of a year — Jocelyn in Jan. 2019 in Riverton, Wyo. and Jade in Jan. 2020 on the Wind River reservation. While four people were convicted of Jocelyn’s murder in 2023, Jade’s case remains open.
Today, Wagon leads Wind River MMIP, a nonprofit supporting families navigating the criminal justice system. Her advocacy led to the creation of the Wyoming Missing and Murdered Indigenous People’s task force.
In an interview with Native News Online, Wagon discussed her work in the MMIP movement and offered advice for Native families advocating for missing or murdered relatives. This story has been edited for clarity and brevity.
After Joceyln’s murder in 2019, how did you first connect with the MMIP movement?
At the time, I had no idea what MMIP was. MMIP advocate Bernice Seminole came to my daughter's service, and she brought a picture of her. I will always be grateful to her for their support because of all the grief, mourning, and shock. That opened the floodgates. People started reaching out to me, and it was a ripple effect.
What did that feel like to connect with other Natives who had experienced the same thing?
I finally processed it and realized that I wasn't alone. Hearing other stories that were even worse than my own grief and hurt was heartbreaking. I was really humbled. Everybody remembers where they were when word got out about my daughter's murder. She touched a lot of people. I was overwhelmed with the compassion, empathy and love; her funeral services were huge. Everybody reaching out wanted to be a part of it.
What challenges did you face while pushing for investigation into your daughters’ cases?
I faced all of it: Racism, jurisdictional confusion and apathetic law enforcement. When Jocelyn died in Fremont County, my dad looked me straight in the eye and said, "You are going to find out who did this to my granddaughter."
I had to be really focused and demanding to meet with law enforcement in Fremont County and frequently called my state representative. I said, "Nope, you're not putting this at the bottom of the barrel. I want some answers and some consistency."
It was really tough working with law enforcement because certain things cannot be shared. It was a lot of heartache and being patient. You want answers right away!
A year later, you lost Jade. How did navigating tribal jurisdiction differ from dealing with the county as you did with Jocelyn?
On the tribal side, it falls on deaf ears. But a lot of people, I call them good samaritans, said to me, "Hey, don't give up," which meant they knew something behind closed doors. They closed her case without making any arrests.
I testified in 2023 at the Not Invisible Act Committee meeting (about both cases). The result of my testimony gave birth to a Missing Murdered Unit (MMU) on the Wind River Indian Reservation. If anybody calls and says, "My child and/or adult is missing," the MMU takes the issue seriously. It doesn't fall on deaf ears.
Are you still seeing the same law enforcement challenges today?
Just the other week, there was an advocate who reached out trying to help a young lady who was in a domestic violence situation with her brother. They called for help, and when law enforcement came, they said, "Well, he's on the lease. He lives here." Then the BIA Law Enforcement advised the elderly mother or the daughter to go file something up at tribal court. For some people, they can't afford the gas to go do that. It's so hard mentally and emotionally, and then for an officer you are calling for help to say, "There is nothing we can do."
That’s not okay. Does that mean BIA Law Enforcement will not do anything until something physically happens rather than diffuse the situation and support the family that called for assistance?
What have you learned about your own strength through advocating for others?
I never realized how determined I was, you know. How many people have received justice? Not a lot, right? I was asked to be a speaker down in Arizona at the Southwest Indigenous Women’s Coalition and I was overwhelmed by how many women, men and two-spirited people came to that event. They came to me for me to give them hope. They wanted to meet me. One lady literally touched me. She said, "I want to touch you so I can have that strength."
What does it take emotionally to keep pushing for answers?
It opens up the wounds all over again. You're opening up the trauma again. But I put my foot down and said, “No, we are going to be heard today.” I was persistent. With Jocelyn, they finally assigned me an investigator because I wouldn't quit.
What would you tell families who are just starting to work with law enforcement?
Keep a timeline. Demand to be met with. Lean on your advocate. Every agency has an advocate, and their job is to support the families with tools such as counseling.
Build bridges. For example, when Eric Hurtado was hired as Chief of the Riverton Police Department, I welcomed him and honored him at a powwow with a quilt. These are ugly jobs that nobody likes to do, but boy, you sure need them when you need help, right? It's a hard job to do. So I supported Chief Hurtado, and then I got a good relationship with him and support with my marches.
How does MMIP affect the broader community, both Native and non-Natives?
We are all affected by this, even indirectly. You're part of the community. A lot of people were afraid when nobody could find out who did that to my daughter. I had non-Natives coming up to me, afraid because there were some people out there that did this horrific act.
In Indigenous communities, you may not be directly related. I mean, we've got relations upon relations, right? Get on board. Don't wait until something happens.
Rally up and to implement prevention measures for all our loved ones in our communities. Stop the violence, no sex trafficking will be tolerated. No to drugs and alcohol campaigns. Make our communities safe again!
Last week was Jade's birthday. How did you honor her?
We celebrated her life. We had her favorite meal — mashed potatoes and gravy. She loved potatoes, and that trickled down to her kids. They picked out a little cake for their mom. Her kids are eight and seven. They're so pure. They just bring me joy, and they give me strength.
My grandson came up to me and said, "Did you sleep well?" I said, "No, I've been really having a hard time, baby boy." He said, "I had a dream that my mom came to see me."
They have pictures of her in their room, and they kiss her good night and say, "I love you, Mom."
If you have information about Jade’s case, text, call, email The Missing Murdered Unit. 1-833-560-2065. Tip line text keyword: BIAMMU and your tip to 847411.
More Stories Like This
BREAKING: Federal Layoffs Target Indian Health Service, Threatening Healthcare Access Across Indian CountryRobert F. Kennedy, Jr. Confirmed as Secretary of HHS; Indian Organization Hopeful He Will Fulfill Promise to Tribal Nations
Indian Health Service Programs Are Exempt from Trump’s DEI Order
‘Our Data is Our Stories’ | Q+A: Abigail Echo-Hawk on Data Sovereignty
