TUCSON, Ariz. (KGUN) — The Arizona State Study Committee for Missing and Murdered Indigenous People want more resources for people living on reservations.
They held a public hearing on Oct. 14 on the Tohono O'odham Nation.
They're not only trying to find out how to do better for the families, but they’re also trying to prevent further instances from occurring.
This gives hope to mother Elayne Gregg. Her seven-year-old daughter Rhia Almeida went missing in 2009.
“She went down the street to play with a friend, and she was missing for a couple of hours. We had went to go look for her, and her body was found, just right down the street from our house. She was found in a ditch,” said Gregg.
Gregg said she was fortunate to have had a successful investigation. The perpetrator was found later that night and was convicted four years later.
She said her situation was much different than those on the reservation.
“The cases I do see on the reservation have had far worse outcomes than we had,”
Her case happened within Pima county, so many of the victim services she received from Tucson were very helpful.
She said services like counseling helped with the healing process, but there are barriers on the reservation such as availability and transportation.
“My fight here with my people is to ensure that one day they receive the same type of services that I received off of the reservation.”
She took that fight to the public hearing for missing and murdered indigenous people.
Arizona State Representative Jennifer Jermaine, the Chair of the committee, said that has been a priority.
“How we can increase access to services, how we can ease some of their pain while having to bury a loved one,” said Jermaine. “One of the things the state did for the very first time was fund the nonprofit organizations that are in the reservation areas working on fighting domestic violence, working on child services, working on housing issues. We know that when people are unstable, in their family situations or in their housing situations, it causes stress and increases the factors and the likelihoods for violence.”
Gregg said she’s happy the state is taking action and is looking forward to the next steps.
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Reyna Preciado is a reporter for KGUN 9, she joined the KGUN 9 team in July of 2022 after graduating Arizona State University. Share your story ideas with Reyna by emailing reyna.preciado@kgun9.com or by connecting on Instagram, or Twitter.
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