Phoenix is among 10 FBI Field Offices that were assigned extra agents and resources to focus on violent crime against indigenous people.
Federal officials say the six-month surge called Operation Not Forgotten was the longest and most intense effort to solve crimes against Native Americans.
FBI agents and other experts on missing and murdered Indigenous people helped with more than 300 cases. And they had help from tools such as ground-penetrating radar, underwater cameras and sonar.
The action comes as investigators work to solve the recent high-profile murders of Apache teens Challistia Colelay and Emily Pike.
More Indigenous Affairs news
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Join KJZZ on Aug. 3, 2026, to hear from a panel of experts who will discuss the future of Navajo Coal Country. -
Top Republican Arizona state lawmakers are lining up with the Department of Homeland Security — and against the Tohono O'odham Nation — over whether the federal agency can build 62 miles of border wall through that reservation. -
A judge ruled that former state lawmaker David Marshall can continue to serve as the Navajo County recorder, finding his appointment to the job did not violate the Arizona Constitution. -
Colorado River Indian Tribes Chairwoman Amelia Flores met with leaders from around the world to discuss legal personhood for rivers. -
Across tribal communities in northeastern Arizona, 1 in 3 homes does not have running water. But now, there’s a way to help fix that.
