LINCOLN- On Tuesday, Attorney General Mike Hilgers announced that Grace Johnson, an enrolled member of the Oglala-Lakota Tribe, will serve in a dedicated liaison role to address cases related to missing or murdered Indigenous peoples. Johnson will be the first to assume the role, for which funding was appropriated this year by the Nebraska Legislature.

Under the supervision and direction of the bureau chief of the AG's Criminal Bureau, Johnson will coordinate with local, state, tribal, and federal governments in her reporting and investigation. Johnson, a graduate of Bellevue University, previously served as an advisory board member for Community Action as part of the Honoring Indigenous Families Grant, and has also held positions with the Great Plains Tribal Leaders Health Board and Nebraska Indian Child Welfare Coalition Board.

The U.S. Bureau of Indian Affairs estimates that roughly 4,200 missing and murdered cases have gone unsolved nationally. A 2018 report by the Urban Indian Health Institute revealed that Nebraska ranked seventh among 29 states for its number of missing and murdered Indigenous women and girls. Omaha ranked eighth among 71 cities. Johnson's new role was created through Sen. Jane Raybould's LB328.

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