Malcolm X once said, “The most disrespected person in America is the Black woman. The most unprotected person in America is the Black woman. The most neglected person in America is the Black woman.” In honor of Women’s History Month, my focus is on the ongoing epidemic in our country: missing women of color.
July 13, 2023: the day Carlee Russell, a Black woman from Hoover, Alabama was reported missing after calling 911 to report a toddler on the highway. A search party was launched, volunteers organized by Russell’s parents, aided in the search. Fortunately, she returned home two days later, on July 15th. She gave investigators her account of what happened on the night of July 13th. Russell recalled a man coming out of the woods and claiming he was checking on the child. Russell told officers the man forced her over a fence and into a car. She also mentioned an instance of escaping, but was recaptured and loaded into a car. Days after Russell’s return and stating her story, the whole debacle was revealed as a lie. Russell was never kidnapped nor did she see a toddler on the side of a highway. She was found guilty of filing a false police report and false kidnapping. She was mandated to pay about $18,000 in restitution and face jail time, possibly a year.
Due to this outcome, people have expressed their reluctance to share cases of missing Black women. Prompting others to look at every Black missing woman’s story in doubt. Russell’s situation captivated attention because it was sensational, then it was a hoax. Were her intentions to gain internet sensation, or to bring attention to the lack of coverage and support countless missing women of color in the United States receive? Or did it show a woman having a mental meltdown? More than 97,000 cases of missing Black women were reported in 2022 alone. Could be even more today. When women of color go missing, there is a lack of media coverage, law enforcement support, and community engagement. Their cases are lucky to make national news. It takes loved ones, outside groups and organizations to inform the masses and spread awareness.
What about 19-year old Saniyya Dennis? A SUNY Buffalo Student who went missing on April 24, 2021. Through surveillance, Dennis was last seen in Niagara Falls, New York, located about 20 miles north of the campus. Her phone was later pinged near Goat Island in Niagara Falls at 1:20am the next day. While authorities have yet to find the body or remains, evidence from authorities conclude she took her own life. Earlier that day, Dennis got into an argument with her boyfriend, which ended with him breaking up with her. She called him several times to no avail. Dennis then called another male friend and discussed killing herself, according to reports. She threw away “personal items”, leading investigators to believe she would not return to the SUNY Buffalo campus. Dennis took a bus to Niagara Falls State Park alone. Park cameras spotted her along a trail at 12:17am on April 25 — which was the last known footage of Dennis. Could this dismissal suggest authorities refusal to further investigate the matter or is it the harsh reality? The case of Saniyya Dennis speaks to the neglect and mental health of people of color.
In the case of Chelsea Michelle Cobo, who has been missing since 2016, Chelsea’s aunt, Rose (who legally adopted Chelsea), has been doing everything to find answers to where she is. In pursuit of answers, Rose has been hung up on by NYPD detectives, and Chelsea’s case has been moved from Sex Trafficking to Missing Persons all the way back to the detective who originally handled Chelsea’s case. To this day, she is unsure of the status of her niece’s case within the NYPD. After all these years and calls for equity in missing persons coverage, Chelsea’s case was featured on Eyewitness News’ series, Missing in 2022. Of the more than 271,000 women that were reported missing in 2022, 21,579 of the entries are Hispanic according to the National Crime Information Center (NCIC).
In addition to making up a disproportionate percentage of all missing people, and lack of media coverage, women of color are also at an increased risk of being abused. They are three times more likely to die as a result of intimate partner abuse than white women. 32-year-old Jamie Yazzie, a Navajo woman and mother of three sons went missing in the summer of 2019 from her community of Pinon, which is on the Navajo Nation located in Arizona. Her remains were discovered in November 2021 on the adjacent Hopi reservation in northeastern Arizona. It was later revealed Yazzie’s boyfriend, Tre C. James murdered her. Her case garnered attention through the Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women (MMIW) movement which draws attention to widespread violence against Indigenous women and girls in the United States and Canada. Relatives of both families spoke of the couple’s volatile and sometimes violent relationship. Hours before the murder, James’ sister informed investigators that Yazzie had sent her a message on Facebook accusing Tre of firing a pistol twice while chasing Yazzie around their property. Women from the Native American/Indigenous communities have endured towering rates of assault, abduction and murder. According to a 2016 study by the National Institute of Justice, four in five American Indian and Alaska Native women — 84.3%, have experienced violence in their lifetime, including 56.1 % who have experienced sexual violence. While justice was served, it took the effort of an outside group to spread the information. In 2021, two years after Yazzie’s disappearance, President Biden signed a proclamation delegating May 5 as Missing and Murdered Indigenous Persons Awareness Day.
There is power in media coverage and public opinion. It promotes a sense of urgency in motion, impelling community and putting pressure on law enforcement to add resources to the case, generating quicker results. Sadly, cases regarding women of color remain open four times longer than their white counterparts.
September 11, 2021: social media influencer Gabby Petito who traveled on a month-long cross country trip with her boyfriend, Brian Laundrie, was reported missing by her family. Eight days later, her body was found at a campground near Grand Teton National Park in Wyoming. It was later revealed from Laundrie’s notebook, that he had in fact killed Petito, as stated in a New York Post article. Her status on social media platforms like YouTube and TikTok helped her story spread like wildfire. True crime podcasts, national news channels, intense investigation from officials and the general public all centered around her. Petito was mentioned 398 times on Fox News, 346 times on CNN and 100 times on MSNBC, all in a seven day period, as highlighted in a Washington Post article. While what happened to Gabby Peitito was inexcusable, highlighting domestic violence in relationships, the case brought another situation to light: media coverage and bias in missing person cases. From 2011–2020, 710 indigenous people, mainly women, have been reported missing in the same area where Petito’s remains were found. Where is their media and public outcry?
Picture courtesy of goldengatexpress.org
Missing White Woman Syndrome, a phrase coined by late journalist Gwen Ifill, explains how Western media entities prioritize and cover the stories on the murder, kidnapping or disappearance of missing white females. They are seen as “damsels in distress” and their victimhood is considered valuable and profitable. It is no surprise that media outlets negatively portray women of color. Instead of being seen as victims, they are seen as promiscuous and responsible for their disappearances. They are stereotyped as being involved with crime, violence, poverty or addiction, which also takes attention away from their stories. This is not meant to detract what happened to Petito; it is just an examination of media coverage and how some cases get more than others. People of color should not have to be accustomed to the lack of coverage or help. Just like Petito’s family, other families deserve answers and closure.
Progress is being made slowly but surely in New York. December 2023, Gov. Kathy Hochul announced the Missing BIPOC Women and Girls Task Force, a unit devoted to addressing the disparities in how New York investigates cases of missing women of color. “The statistics are alarming: thousands of women and girls who are Black, Indigenous or people of color go missing every year. We have a moral obligation to treat these cases with the care and seriousness they deserve, and this new Task Force will be a critical part of that effort,” she said. According to the FBI, out of more than 271,000 cases of missing women and girls nationwide, 43% were Black, Indigenous or people of color. The Task Force will have nine members, consisting of representatives of the Office of Family and Children’s Services, the Division of Criminal Justice Services, the New York State Police and members selected by the Senate and Assembly. Hearings will be required, and the Task Force must submit a report of its findings and recommendations within two years time. As emphasized by Gov. Hochul, public safety is a top priority. Is this another form of appeasement to please the ear of the masses or will it be effective in finding the missing?
As said before, the power of the media is significant. It has the ability to amplify these cases, keeping them relevant within the public and leading change being implemented. It also emotionally impacts and touches viewers, causing them to join the cause. NBC’s new drama series, Found is doing just that. The series focuses on former kidnapping victim Gabi Mosley who leads a team devoted to searching for missing people who have failed to gain media attention and have been neglected by law enforcement and the public. While on paper Gabi is a recovery specialist, she’s actually more of a vigilante; operating outside the law for the people who go underserved by law enforcement as well as methods to find victims that police would not use. The victims of Gabi Mosley’s focus are often people of color, as well as victims who face prejudice for their ethnicity, sexuality, lifestyle and more. She stops at nothing to bring the missing home. While this may be a TV show, all of the scenarios are real. The protagonist’s courage and resilience display how we should approach the situation. All episodes of Found are now available on NBC and Peacock.
Picture courtesy of IMDb
The presence of our Black, Indigenous and Latinx sisters should be uplifted, valued and heard. Their lives are no more or less valuable than anyone else’s. We as a community have an obligation that their stories do not go silent, but spread like a flame; one that will hopefully find the answers.
Great Article !!