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Report: More than 700 Indigenous people reported missing in Wyoming over past decade

Posted at 4:03 PM, Sep 22, 2021
and last updated 2021-09-22 18:04:25-04

Gabby Petito's disappearance has captured the attention of people across the country. 

The area in Wyoming where her body has been discovered has been a vanishing point for hundreds of other young women and girls.

Most of them are indigenous.

A report in January published by the state's Missing and Murdered Indigenous People Task Force found that 710 Indigenous people were reported missing over the last decade.

Most of them, 85%, were children.

Over half of them were girls.

According to the report, 50% of missing Indigenous people are found within one week, while 21% remain missing for 30 days or longer.

The report stated that only 11% of white people remain missing for that long.

According to the report, Indigenous people make up 21% of homicide victims over the last 20 years in Wyoming, despite making up just 3% of the state's population.

The report found that only 30% of Indigenous homicide victims earned news coverage compared to 51% of white victims.

Lauren Stephenson initially reported this story at Newsy.