May is Missing and Murdered Indigenous Relatives Awareness Month
May Honors our Missing and Murdered Indigenous Relatives Each year on May 5, we remember and honor our Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Relatives (MMIWR). For many, the red dresses, the marches, the prayers, vigils, and stories bring a painful but necessary light to the ongoing crisis facing our Native relatives. But for our families and communities, this is not just for one day of the year but every day.
Over the past few years, we have seen some progress. On the federal level, we have passed Savanna’s Act and Operation Lady Justice, which were created to raise awareness of our MMIR and improve communication and coordination among tribal, federal, and state agencies. However, legislation alone cannot heal the wound or stop the violence. We need your help. Tribes still face jurisdictional barriers that limit their ability to investigate or prosecute certain crimes committed on their land, especially when a non-Native perpetrator is involved. Among other issues is a lack of funding for our tribal justice systems. They lack the resources to pursue the thousands of missing and murdered cases, and lastly, a lack of accurate data and reporting.
Many of our relatives are still misclassified, overlooked, or go unreported. But why is that? “A big reason the media ignore Indigenous issues is due to the repeated dehumanization and stereotyping of Native people. Indigenous people, throughout all American history, have been turned into spectacles, becoming mascots for sports games, costumes for Halloween, and the subjects of many tattoo designs. Our medicines, such as white sage, and our sacred items, such as dreamcatchers, have been appropriated by those who don’t understand how important they are to us. Modern views of Indigenous people have caused movements like MMIW to be seen as “Indian issues” that aren’t worth the time to explore. These attitudes fuel the urge of the country at large to turn a blind eye, as it’s not affecting people they deem worthy of help.” (https://stopthehurt.org/mmiw-an-important-issue-no-one-is-talking-about)
The Advocacy Resource Center believes that our community and culture are our medicine. While we continue to advocate for change at the federal and state levels, we also think significant changes can occur here, in our hometowns and communities. What does that look like? We must look out for one another. We must support our survivors of intimate partner violence and assist them with their needs to prevent revictimization. We need to educate our youth about their worth and the value of others. We need to model healthy relationship behaviors for our youth. We must empower young girls to speak up and not settle for unhealthy relationship behaviors. We must reclaim our culture and traditions because Native Americans are not naturally violent people. We are kind, loving, and good to our women and Two-Spirit individuals. Violence is NOT our tradition.
In 2024, ARC hosted the MMIR event in St. Ignace, MI, with a powerful march down State Street. St. Ignace has since begun its own march and plans to continue the tradition. Last year, the march was in Manistique, MI, and it had a fantastic turnout. This year's March is in Newberry, MI. Please know you do not have to wait for the ARC to come to your community; you can host an event independently. It does not take much to gather others together in one place, wear red, and stand for what you believe in. You can make signs, say prayers, and speak the names of your lost loved ones to show your support. It would be incredible to have every community unite in solidarity to honor our stolen relatives on May 5.
You don’t have to work in advocacy to make a difference. You can help your community by sharing the stories of missing and murdered individuals in your area. Speak their names and keep their spirits alive. Continue to remember them and let everyone know that their lives mattered.
You can also support families of missing and murdered individuals by donating to a memorial fund, lending a listening ear, and attending events in honor of our MMIR. The Advocacy Resource Center hosts an MMIR event each year to promote awareness of our stolen relatives. Recently, ARC has been hosting the event in different communities to raise awareness in each of the Sault Tribe of Chippewa Indians' seven counties.
What else can you do? You can display a red dress in your yard. You can hang one or several; it is a powerful message and a great way to show your support. Seeing the visual representation of a life lost or stolen can make a vast difference. You can educate yourself on the warning signs of human trafficking and domestic and sexual violence. You can support survivors by donating to a local shelter and assisting with transportation, food, clothing, or whatever needs are lacking. Most importantly, we need to protect one another. We must watch out for our neighbors. Ensure that people arrive home safely by calling, texting, or sharing your location with your loved ones.
Sometimes, making an anonymous call to police or local authorities when you see or hear something suspicious can make a difference or even save a life. Once more, educate our youth. Teach teens about dating violence. Let them know what behaviors are unhealthy and that help is available.
The Advocacy Resource Center currently maintains a database for our Sault Tribe Missing and Murdered members. To date, the Sault Ste. Marie Tribe of Chippewa Indians has 35 reported Missing and Murdered Relatives. Of those 35, 22 are reported as murdered, and 13 have been reported missing. Currently, 10 of the reported 22 murders were victims of intimate partner violence. Of the 13 reported missing, 4 of those Sault Tribe members are still missing. The families of the current missing Sault Tribe members have requested that ARC continue to share their loved one's stories to seek updates or new information about their family member’s disappearance.
If you have any information about the following people, please call the ARC at 906-632-1808. Yvonne Renee (Jones) Scott (then 31 years old) disappeared from Wyoming, Michigan, on January 3, 2004. Scott was last seen at approximately 11:00 p.m. in the 2900 block of Clyde Park Avenue southwest in Wyoming, Michigan. That day, she called the police to report that two people had robbed her. Officers went to the scene and took an incident report. Scott left afterward and began walking eastbound on 28th Street. She has never been heard from again.
Authorities identified a suspect after Scott's disappearance and searched his vehicle and home, but turned up no evidence. No one has been charged in connection with her case. Investigators believe her disappearance may be connected to a series of murders in the local area; all of the victims were prostitutes. Yvonne would be 52 years old today. Yvonne’s immediate family has since passed away. They tried desperately to find their daughter until their passing. The Advocacy Resource Center’s Community Educator, Jess Gillotte-King, is related to Yvonne and continues to actively advocate for her and share her story. If you have any information about Yvonne, please contact the Kent County Sheriff's Department at 616-632-6125. Visit https://charleyproject.org/case/yvonne-renee-scott for more information.
Sault Tribe Member Christine Marie Honson was last seen in Grand Rapids, Michigan, sometime in September 1974. She was 32 years old at the time of her disappearance. She had lived in Petoskey, Michigan, with her husband and three children, and her marriage was troubled. She had occasionally left home for a few days at a time, but always reappeared.
In September 1974, Christine disappeared from her home in Petoskey. Her husband found some suitcases in their backyard and assumed she had left him and possibly hitched a ride out of the area. A week later, Christine’s husband drove to the home of one of her relatives in Grand Rapids and left the suitcases there. Once he returned to Petoskey, he filed a missing persons report. Christine’s sisters in Grand Rapids last saw her in the summer of 1974. She had a close relationship with her sisters, and their families frequently visited each other. In the fall of that year, Christine called her sister and her sister-in-law, saying she would visit them. Christine didn't visit, however, and her family never heard from her again.
There has been no activity on Christine Honson's Social Security number since the summer of 1974, and she never renewed her driver's license. She had a good relationship with her children, and her loved ones would not think she would have abandoned them. Christine Honson may have used the following aliases: Barbara Jean Compo, Christine Marie Compo, and/or Christine Marie Harrington. Christine would be 82 years old today. If you have any information about Christine Honson, please contact the Kent County Sheriff's Department at 616-632-6100. Visit https://charleyproject.org/case/christine-marie-honson for more information.
Sault Tribe member Stephen J. Houghton was reported missing by his mother on August 18, 2023. Stephen was last seen on February 20, 2022, by State Police at Glens Falls National Bank in Moirah, NY. Stephen Houghton’s vehicle was abandoned on Johnson Pond Road in North Hudson. NY. Stephen is 6’2” and weighs 225 lbs. He would be 36 years old today. He has black hair and blue eyes. If you have any information about Stephen, please contact the New York State Police at (518) 314-7516. Visit https://namus.nij.ojp.gov/missing-person-namus-mp140356 for more information. Sault Tribe member
Joanne Lynn (Somes) Vogt’s last known location was in Boise, Idaho, in 1990. Joanne and her husband were known to have been tenting in the area. Joanne made brief contact with her young daughter on June 22, 1990, and has never been heard from since. Joanne is a brunette, though she colors her hair blonde. She is 5’3” and weighs 115 pounds. Joanne had a lazy left eye and pierced ears. Joanne had resided in Nevada and may have gone to California with her then-husband, Ron Vogt. Joanne has two children. Joanne may go by Joanne Forster, Joanne Bryer, Jo Somes, or Joanne Vogt. Joanne would be 76 years old today. Her family misses her dearly and would like information on whether anyone knows about Joanne’s situation. Please contact the ARC at 906-632-1808 if you have any additional information about Joanne Vogt. ARC will contact the proper authorities with Joanne’s information.
If you would like to report a missing or murdered Sault Tribe member, please get in touch with the Advocacy Resource Center’s Community Educator, Jess Gillotte-King, with the following information: First/Middle/Last Name Date of Birth Date of Death Murdered/When/Where Perpetrator Name if known: If Missing: Nickname/Alias Date Last Seen/Went Missing Physical Description Distinctive Physical Features Vehicle Information The information provided does not have to be current. The Advocacy Resource Center is seeking information for ALL missing or murdered tribal members, including the seven-county service areas and tribal members across the world. If you need support or advocacy, please contact the ARC at 906-632-1808.
