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Remains of Navajo murder victim Jamie Yazzie returned to Arizona

The remains of an Arizona woman killed in 2019 have been returned to this state after a jury found her killer guilty in her murder. Jamie Yazzie was a Navajo mother of three. She went missing in the summer of 2019; it was two years before her remains were found on the Hopi reservation. 

The trial of Tre James ended last week when he was found guilty of first-degree murder. 

He was also found guilty in attacks against three other partners. 

New Mexico attorney Darlene Gomez represented Yazzie's family and amplified the case through TikTok videos.

"This case was tremendous in Indian Country because it actually showed how victim’s families and the secondary victims could be a voice for their loved ones," she said in an interview.

Gomez represented Yazzie’s family as the case rose in notoriety. She represents families in nearly 20 similar cases, all pro bono. She herself lost a friend who went missing more than 20 years ago.  

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Fronteras Desk senior editor Michel Marizco is an award-winning investigative reporter based in Flagstaff.