- Details
- By Native News Online Staff
NEW BEDFORD, Mass. — The Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe is seeking assistance to locate an 18-year-old tribal woman who has been missing since Tuesday, Oct. 20, 2020.
Tribal Chairman Cedric Cromwell paused during a live streamed interview with Native News Online on Tuesday night before answering a question to relay an important message about a situation currently confronting his tribe. The woman, Jalahjia Finklea, went missing the day before her 18th birthday.
“My tribe is going through a challenging and heartfelt situation where we have a young lady who has been missing for quite a few days now,” Cromwell said.
Finklea stands at 5-foot-3 and weighs approximately 100 pounds. She has brown hair with some blond streaks, hazel eyes and has a triangle scar on her left cheek. She also has some tattoos on her shoulder blades and part of her torso.
Cromwell went on to say local law enforcement has been involved in locating her, but the Federal Bureau of Investigations (FBI) has not even contacted his tribe to assist in the investigation to locate the missing woman. Typically, when individuals are listed as missing within a federally recognized tribe, the FBI assets in the investigation.
“Jalahjia Finklea has gone missing without any contact and this is a tragedy and a major concern of hurt and pain in the Mashpee Wampanoag Tribal Community. Our tribal members have been searching for her in the woods, placing fliers throughout the community of Mashpee and the city of New Bedford, Mass.,” Cromwell said. “We need the assistance from the FBI to help us find our beloved Jalahjia and bring her home safely. There is the Indigenous murdered and missing women federal law that must be upheld by the Bureau.”
Finklea was last seen on Tuesday, Oct. 20, in the area of New Bedford, Mass. She reportedly went missing after she texted a friend that she was meeting a man who may have taken her out of state, according to the Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe’s website.
Her family said she would never run away from home and it was highly unusual for her not to respond to phone calls or text messages.
The Mashpee Wampanoag Police Department is working closely with the New Bedford Police Department to find her.
If you have any information, please contact the New Bedford Police Department at 508-991-6360.
More Stories Like This
Native News Weekly (August 25, 2024): D.C. BriefsUS Presidents in Their Own Words Concerning American Indians
Native News Weekly (August 4, 2024): D.C. Briefs
Protests Greet Western Governors in Santa Fe
Red Hoop Talk: Native Stories, Real Conversations
Help us tell the stories that could save Native languages and food traditions
At a critical moment for Indian Country, Native News Online is embarking on our most ambitious reporting project yet: "Cultivating Culture," a three-year investigation into two forces shaping Native community survival—food sovereignty and language revitalization.
The devastating impact of COVID-19 accelerated the loss of Native elders and with them, irreplaceable cultural knowledge. Yet across tribal communities, innovative leaders are fighting back, reclaiming traditional food systems and breathing new life into Native languages. These aren't just cultural preservation efforts—they're powerful pathways to community health, healing, and resilience.
Our dedicated reporting team will spend three years documenting these stories through on-the-ground reporting in 18 tribal communities, producing over 200 in-depth stories, 18 podcast episodes, and multimedia content that amplifies Indigenous voices. We'll show policymakers, funders, and allies how cultural restoration directly impacts physical and mental wellness while celebrating successful models of sovereignty and self-determination.
This isn't corporate media parachuting into Indian Country for a quick story. This is sustained, relationship-based journalism by Native reporters who understand these communities. It's "Warrior Journalism"—fearless reporting that serves the 5.5 million readers who depend on us for news that mainstream media often ignores.
We need your help right now. While we've secured partial funding, we're still $450,000 short of our three-year budget. Our immediate goal is $25,000 this month to keep this critical work moving forward—funding reporter salaries, travel to remote communities, photography, and the deep reporting these stories deserve.
Every dollar directly supports Indigenous journalists telling Indigenous stories. Whether it's $5 or $50, your contribution ensures these vital narratives of resilience, innovation, and hope don't disappear into silence.
The stakes couldn't be higher. Native languages are being lost at an alarming rate. Food insecurity plagues many tribal communities. But solutions are emerging, and these stories need to be told.
Support independent Native journalism. Fund the stories that matter.
Levi Rickert (Potawatomi), Editor & Publisher
