Case Support for Families
The Minnesota MMIR office provides case support to families during a law enforcement investigation where an Indigenous person is either missing or has suddenly or unexpectedly died (including overdose or suicide).
This is an assessment and referral-based service, where office staff work on behalf of victims/survivors and their relatives. This includes connecting them with resources and guiding them through any processes to acquire desired services with special consideration for Indigenous cultural norms and practices.
Family members are not required to be enrolled with a federally-recognized Tribe in order to request and receive case support services from our office.
Our case support services include:
- Emotional support
- Creating and distributing missing persons flyers
- Resources and referrals to service providers
- Communication with law enforcement during an investigation
- Information on victimization and prevention
- Assistance with the Crime Victims' Reimbursement application
- Information and guidance on the criminal justice process
- Assistance with safety planning
- Assistance in systems navigating
Case support is provided by our family support liaisons (FSL), who offer information about the different options available to relatives and support their decision making. Our FSLs are committed to maintaining the highest possible levels of confidentiality while supporting those with missing or murdered Indigenous relatives. Services can be provided virtually or in-person, depending on the type of help requested and FSL availability.
For missing persons cases, our office requires that a report is made to law enforcement before we provide services. If you are hesitant to make a report, or have questions about how to make a report, you can call our office at 651-201-7344 for further guidance.
If you are interested in requesting case support services, please complete and submit our request form and an FSL will reach out to you within three business days.
Educational and Awareness Presentations
MMIR office staff provide presentations and trainings for educational and awareness purposes to a variety of audiences, including:
- Youth
- Community members
- Service provider professionals
- First responders
- City, County, State and Tribal government employees and leaders
Our staff speak on our work and the MMIR epidemic, as well as other types of violence Indigenous people experience. We present at events, schools, community centers and in work spaces. We also offer virtual presentations.
If you are interested in having someone from our office provide a presentation, please submit a request through our form here.
Community Events: Planning and Tabling
Our Community Planner is able to provide support and attend community events, conferences and national days of observance, such as Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women (MMIW) Awareness on May 5. Support includes:
- Logistical support
- Generating event awareness
- MMIR office event attendance
- Event materials (flyers, food, handouts, etc.)
If you are interested in the MMIR office's attendance or support at your event, please reach out to our Community Planner.
Technical Assistance for Law Enforcement
Per Minnesota State Statute 299A.85, sub. 4(7), the MMIR office provides a variety of analytical services to law enforcement, upon request, to support and aid in their investigations in active missing persons or homicide cases with an Indigenous victim.
This is a crime analysis function that includes collecting, organizing, analyzing, and interpreting crime and incident data in order to evaluate past performance and identify criminal activity patterns and trends for operational deployment, tactical intervention, strategic planning, and management analysis.
The technical assistance service is provided by the MMIR Intelligence Specialist who will assist law enforcement with assembling data and information sufficient
for analysis, planning and daily problem solving regarding MMIR cases, and
responses to violence the Indigenous community experiences.
If you are law enforcement and interested in requesting this service, please contact our Intelligence Specialist.
