Fresno State vigil honors missing, murdered Indigenous women, girls, relatives

Families, tribal partners and community members gathered at Fresno State’s Peace Garden next to the campus library on Tuesday evening to honor missing and murdered Indigenous women, girls and relatives whose cases remain unresolved in Fresno County and beyond.

The fourth annual vigil ran from 5 to 8 p.m., with registration starting at 4 p.m. The free event was open to the public, and attendees were encouraged to wear red, a color tied to the Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women awareness movement. Fresno State said the evening included vendors, drum circles, remembrances and updates on efforts to strengthen response systems through Fresno County social services, law enforcement and the Mayor’s Office.

The vigil carried a local urgency that went beyond remembrance. Fresno State’s campus materials point to the Urban Indian Health Institute’s 2019 report, which ranked Fresno fifth among 71 urban U.S. cities for the number of missing and murdered Indigenous women cases. That ranking has made Fresno a painful focal point for families, advocates and tribal organizations working to keep cases from disappearing into bureaucracy or silence.

This year’s gathering was hosted with the North Fork Mono Tribe, Fresno American Indian Health Project, Inter-Tribal Council of California, Big Sandy Rancheria and Tachi Yokut Tribe, reflecting a network of tribal and community partners trying to build a more coordinated local response. The university has also identified Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Children as one of its Native holidays, celebrations and remembrances, showing the issue has become part of ongoing campus recognition rather than a one-night observance.

The concern reaches well beyond Fresno. The California Native American Legislative Caucus says California ranks among the top five states in Missing and Murdered Indigenous Peoples cases, underscoring how often these disappearances and killings remain undercounted or overlooked. The California Department of Justice has said regional Missing in California Indian Country events are meant to elevate the state’s response to the MMIP crisis and help families report missing loved ones, get case updates and connect with law enforcement and support services.

Federal attention has also increased. In April 2025, the U.S. Department of Justice announced Operation Not Forgotten, a surge of FBI assets aimed at unresolved violent crimes in Indian Country, including MMIP cases. For Fresno families and tribal communities, the annual vigil has become both a memorial and a warning: the cases are still open wounds, and the need for accountability remains close to home.