Minnesota Department of Safety Launches MMIR Tip Program

ST. PAUL, Minn.– Today during a press conference, the Minnesota Department of Public Safety unveiled a new tip program.

This was established to bring closure and justice for families impacted by Missing Murdered Indigenous Relatives.

State officials, as well as law enforcement joined together to launch this powerful tool.

A reward fund is being opened on the behalf of those affected by the MMIR epidemic.

If eligible, up to $10,000 for tips can be used to advance investigations or simply provide closure for families and loved ones.

Some of the speakers at this event, highlighting the impact individuals feel surrounding these events.

“Today the time has come. The time our families have waited for. They have waited for so many things over the last years and sometimes decades. They’ve waited for calls, for answers to say words they can’t say, or no longer hear from their loved ones. And they’ve waited for this process. They waited for justice, and they waited for this fund to exist. That wait comes to an end today,” said Ana Negrete, Interim Director MMIR Office.

One of the speakers at this event has been with this process since the very beginning.

The legislation for the missing murdered indigenous relatives began back in 2018.

And now, awareness has skyrocketed.

“It is just showing in the shift of the approach that we are addressing this historic violence against our indigenous relatives that are, continued to happen for centuries or even generations. This reward fund, they tell me, in just the year that it was there has garnished over $100,000 to go into the reward fund,” said Senator Mary Kanesh, (DFL) District 39

Another resource highlighting the awareness of MMIR was the purchase of 4,500 MMIR license plates around the state.