FBI Expands Rewards for Unsolved Tribal Cases
The Federal Bureau of Investigation has increased financial rewards for information in more than 50 unresolved homicide and missing-person cases involving Native American communities, offering up to $25,000 for information that could help investigators make arrests and secure convictions.
The initiative is part of a broader FBI effort to focus additional attention and resources on violent crimes in Indian Country. Most of the cases included in the program date back less than a decade, while roughly a dozen have remained unresolved for more than 20 years.
The FBI announced the initiative, known as “Voices Not Forgotten,” as part of an effort to increase public awareness around cases involving homicides, kidnappings and missing people believed to be victims of homicide in areas where the agency has federal jurisdiction.
New FBI Initiative Targets Long-Running Cases
The program includes a searchable online map highlighting cases in which investigators are seeking information from the public. The FBI has identified several cases for particular attention, including those involving 8-year-old Maleeka “Mollie” Boone, San Carlos Apache teenager Emily Pike and other victims whose deaths or disappearances remain under investigation.
The agency works with tribal law enforcement and the Bureau of Indian Affairs on federal crimes across nearly 200 Native American reservations. Federal records showed just under 1,500 active cases involving missing Native Americans at the end of 2025, although not every missing-person investigation falls under federal jurisdiction.
Officials hope the increased rewards will encourage people with information to contact investigators, particularly in cases where witnesses may have remained silent for years.
Families Hope Higher Rewards Bring Answers
For families of victims, the increased rewards represent a potential new opportunity to move stalled investigations forward. However, advocates and relatives say financial incentives alone may not overcome long-standing concerns about trust, fear of retaliation and relationships between some tribal communities and federal authorities.
In one case, the FBI increased the reward connected to the 2023 death of Patrick Carlow Sr., a 73-year-old man whose body was discovered inside his home on the Pine Ridge Reservation in South Dakota. His family said the higher reward generated additional calls but has not yet produced the answers they have been seeking.
Advocates say stronger relationships with tribal communities, better communication with families and greater protection for potential witnesses will also be important to resolving these cases.
The FBI says members of the public who have information about eligible cases can contact investigators or submit tips anonymously. The agency hopes the expanded rewards and greater visibility will help bring long-awaited answers to families of missing and murdered Indigenous people.
