The Federal Bureau of Investigation has established a minimum reward of $25,000 for information in dozens of unsolved homicide and missing person cases in Indian Country. This initiative is part of a broader effort to address the disproportionately high rates of violence affecting Native American communities.
The new minimum reward applies to more than 50 cases, most of which are less than 10 years old. However, about a dozen of these cases have remained unsolved for over two decades, according to an analysis by The Associated Press.
Families of victims and some experts have expressed skepticism that the increased reward amounts will be sufficient to encourage tips, citing widespread fear and distrust of the federal government within these communities. "Everybody's scared in Oglala," said Lisa Carlow, whose father, Patrick Carlow Sr., was found dead in his home on the Pine Ridge Reservation in 2023.
The FBI investigates federal crimes on nearly 200 Native American reservations in coordination with the U.S. Bureau of Indian Affairs. As of the end of 2025, the FBI's National Crime Information Center reported just under 1,500 active cases involving missing Native Americans, though not all are classified as federal cases.
Among the cases highlighted by the FBI are that of 8-year-old Maleeka Boone, believed to have been struck by a vehicle on the Navajo Nation, and Emily Pike, a teenager from the San Carlos Apache Tribe whose body was discovered after she went missing from an Arizona group home.
Mary Kathryn Nagle, an attorney and citizen of the Cherokee Nation of Oklahoma who advocates for families of missing Native Americans, noted that federal investigators sometimes enter close-knit communities and witnesses may remain silent due to fear of retribution. She added that higher rewards could potentially incentivize people to come forward and signal to families that their loved ones' cases are being taken seriously. "We have people in Indian Country who know what happened to our relatives," Nagle stated.
Luana Ross, co-director of the Native Voices program at the University of Washington and a member of the Bitterroot Salish, suggested that while cash rewards might increase interest, they are not always paid out. "It is my opinion that in reservation communities, people would be extremely reluctant to turn a friend or relative into a criminal justice system that hasn’t served them well," Ross commented.
Lisa Foster, whose friend Mona Renee Vallo died in a suspected hit-and-run in Laguna Pueblo, New Mexico, in 2022, hopes the increased reward will spur renewed interest in the investigation. Vallo was a member of the Confederated Tribes and Bands of the Yakama Nation.
The reward in the Carlow case was raised to $25,000 in July, an increase from $10,000. His family described the 73-year-old rancher as a respected member of the Oglala community. Following the reward increase, the family reported an uptick in calls, but answers remain elusive.
The FBI declined to provide The Associated Press with an update on the Carlow case. "It’s so hard to get your hopes up like that and think, ‘This is it, we finally got dad’s killer.’ And then nothing comes of it," Lisa Carlow said, reiterating that fear prevents community members with information from contacting authorities.
Her sister, JoDee Carlow, stated that this fear is deeply ingrained in their people and extends beyond the Pine Ridge Reservation to other reservations as well.
The FBI initially offered $5,000 for information regarding the deaths of brothers Matthew and Philip Reagan, who were killed on the Navajo Nation. Their reward has since been doubled and will now reach $25,000. Their deaths are featured on the FBI's Indian Country cases website.
Authorities believe the Reagan brothers got stuck in mud near Sawmill while en route to Canyon de Chelly National Monument and were shot multiple times while seeking help. Matthew Reagan’s wife, Faye Wurstner-Reagan, expressed doubt that a $25,000 reward would be enough to prompt action in the small community, suggesting the FBI should instead allocate resources to law enforcement and victim liaisons.
FBI spokesperson Brooke Brennan in Phoenix indicated that investigating crimes in Indian Country is often challenging due to remoteness, limited resources, and a heavy workload. Wurstner-Reagan voiced a hope for justice for families grieving unsolved killings and missing loved ones, stating, "We're just getting forgotten, like no one is remembering any of us, and we're just told it's an active investigation."