Washington's first missing Indigenous person alert is issued

Washington state's Missing Indigenous Person Alert system went live in early July. The first notice for a missing person was sent Tuesday morning, July 26.

Within 24 hours, the person was found.

RELATED: Washington's Missing Indigenous People Alert system goes live

The Washington State Patrol issued the alert on behalf of the Lummi Police Department for a 38-year-old woman who was last seen in Ferndale, Wash. Subscribers to the alert system were asked to call 911 with any information.

On the morning of Wednesday, July 27, the alert was canceled. WSP said the person was located and was safe.

“This is a significant step for our state and agency,” Carrie Gordon, director of WSP's Missing and Unidentified Persons Unit, told KUOW when the system first went live. “We know that indigenous people go missing at a significantly higher rate than the general population. WSP currently has two full time tribal liaisons that work with tribal law enforcement and advocacy groups to coordinate state communications and response to this issue. The new M.I.P.A. system will be one more tool in rapid response by the state that will hopefully allow us to find and assist Indigenous people who are in danger.”

You can subscribe to alerts for missing Indigenous persons here.