The FBI will "surge" dozens of agents into Indian Country to support investigations into unsolved violent crimes.
The government said the caseload was nearly overwhelming. Of the 4,300 open investigations as of Oct. 1, more than 900 involve death, 1,000 involve child abuse, and 500 involve domestic violence and adult sexual abuse.
FBI Director Kash Patel said in a statement, "The FBI will manhunt violent criminals on all lands — and Operation Not Forgotten ensures a surge in resources to locate violent offenders on tribal lands and find those who have gone missing."
The Operation Not Forgotten mission began in 2023 as an FBI initiative and has since expanded to include the Bureau of Indian Affairs-Office of Justice Services.
This is the third major deployment of agents into Indian Country to solve open cases.
The FBI reported that over the past two years, agents have worked on more than 500 combined investigations with tribal agencies that have led to the recovery of 10 victim children and resulted in 52 arrests and 25 judicial complaints or indictments.
The Bureau of Indian Affairs has a section on its website devoted to providing information about victims and cases to increase awareness and potentially get tips to help solve cases involving missing people or known murder victims.
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