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Thurston County proclaims May Missing Persons Month, recognizes Missing and Murdered Indigenous People Day
Summary
The Thurston County Board of County Commissioners adopted a proclamation designating May 2025 as Missing Persons Month and May 5 as Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and People Day, citing local and statewide missing-persons caseloads and highlighting new state alert and cold‑case resources.
Thurston County commissioners on May 20 adopted a proclamation declaring May 2025 as Missing Persons Month and May 5 as Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and People Day.
The proclamation cites national and state statistics — “as many as 100,000 active missing persons cases in The United States at any given time,” a Washington State Patrol listing of 144 missing individuals in the state, and “more than 10” local cases for the Thurston County Sheriff’s Office — and urges citizens with information to contact the Washington State Patrol missing and unidentified persons unit at +1 805435678, the number included in the proclamation.
The declaration also acknowledged recent local and state efforts to improve missing‑person responses. Sheriff Sanders said the county’s assignment of a dedicated cold‑case detective “is a culmination” that gives families and investigators more consistent attention on long‑running cases. Asa Washings, tribal liaison with the attorney general’s office, described state work including a Missing Indigenous Person Alert (MIPA) system and a statewide cold‑case unit and said the office secured about $500,000 for DNA testing capacity at the state patrol lab. “We found people, as soon as this alert was issued,” Washings said of the MIPA alert, and added that other states are adopting similar alerts.
Family members who spoke at the meeting framed the proclamation as recognition and support. Tina Roberts Creary, identifying herself as the great‑aunt of a Thurston County resident who is missing, thanked the county and law enforcement for attention to cases and for the proclamation’s public recognition.
The board adopted the proclamation formally at the meeting; the document notes community partners including volunteer search teams and law enforcement agencies that assist in searches and identification efforts.
Commissioners and speakers said the proclamation aims to raise awareness and to support families and volunteers working on missing‑person cases. The county’s text of the proclamation includes the statistics cited above and the contact number for the Washington State Patrol missing and unidentified persons unit.
