During Seeking Justice, a special report on missing and murdered Indigenous peoples in the state, Alaska's News Source hosted a panel discussion with experts to take up some of the challenges in addressing the critical issue.
Brandon Irlmeier died the year Anchorage recorded its highest number of homicides at 35. Brandon is among the disproportionate number of Alaska Natives who die violently each year in Alaska.
Shawna Evon's beaten, 12-year-old body was found hidden under trash in the back doorway of an abandoned building in Anchorage in 1991. Nearly three decades later, her case remains unsolved.
The issue of missing and murdered Indigenous peoples in Alaska — urban and rural alike — is a multi-layered and complicated one, especially when you consider what’s often behind it.