Missing Person: Ella Mae Begay

Ella Mae Begay, a 62-year-old woman from the Navajo Nation, was reported missing on June 15, 2021. She lived in Sweetwater, Arizona, within the Navajo reservation, which spans parts of Arizona, New Mexico, and Utah. On the morning of her disappearance, her silver 2005 Ford F-150 truck was seen leaving her home at around 2:30 am. Since then, her family and investigators have not been able to locate her.

The Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) and the FBI became involved in the case. The FBI offered a $5,000 reward for information that could help locate Ella Mae, and her disappearance eventually led to federal charges. A man was indicted on assault and carjacking charges in relation to the case, though Ella Mae herself has never been found. This reflects one of the ongoing challenges in missing person cases in Native communities: even when there is some progress in the legal system, families are often left without a sense of closure

Ella Mae’s case has become widely recognized, in part because of the advocacy of her family members. Her niece, Patty Yazzie, organized a walk for the Navajo Nation to Washington, D.C., to raise awareness of Missing and Murdered Indigenous Persons (MMIP). This effort brought national visibility to Ella Mae’s story and helped shed light on the broader crisis facing Indigenous women across the United States.

The Navajo Nation itself is one of the largest Indigenous tribes in the U.S., with a rich history, culture, and language that remain crucial today. However, like many Native communities, it faces disproportionate rates of violence against women. Ella Mae’s case is not an isolated tragedy, but is rather a part of a broader endemic that organizations, advocates, and families are rigorously working to address

Although the investigation into her disappearance has been administratively closed, Ella Mae Begay remains missing. Her story continues to symbolize the urgent need for justice and the protection of Indigenous women.