Implement Amber Alert fully, mom urges
Symposium looks at using system in Indian Country
In the hours after her son and daughter were seen getting into a stranger’s red minivan and being driven away one afternoon in May 2016, Pamela Foster and her family struggled to mobilize law enforcement. The children lived with their father on the Navajo Nation near Shiprock, and poor coordination between tribal police and State Police and a series of jurisdictional hurdles hampered search efforts.
By the time an Amber Alert blared through phones across New Mexico — around 2:30 a.m. — it was too late.
Ashlynne Mike, 11, was found the next morning. She had been sexually assaulted and beaten to death with a tire iron. Her brother was found safe.
Tom Begaye Jr., now 30, was arrested the next day. He pleaded guilty to murder and other charges in federal court the next year and was sentenced to life in prison.
On Tuesday, Foster spoke about her experience and ensuing advocacy efforts at the first National Amber Alert in Indian Country Symposium, a three-day conference held at Isleta Resort and Casino for tribal, federal, state and local officials.
“I know now time is precious and time is of the essence,” Foster said. “Each minute not searching is wasted time, and that is what we faced. We need to bring light
into the barriers that hinder our communities. We need to make changes to keep our children safe. We need to stop putting things off and waiting, because that usually ends up as never.”
Over the past three years, Foster has pushed for more resources and communication between tribal and state law enforcement when it comes to missing and endangered children.
Her efforts paid off in 2018 when Congress passed, and President Donald Trump signed, the “Ashlynne Mike Amber Alert in Indian Country Act.” The act allows for federal grants and resources to help tribes across the country implement an Amber Alert system and integrate with state Amber Alert systems.
The Department of Justice allocated $1 million specifically to support the act, in addition to $1.8 million awarded to develop training and technical assistance for rescuing missing children in Native American communities.
“Our challenges are big enough in Indian Country, just in terms of the vast geography we have out there, the infrastructure out there,” said John Anderson, U.S. attorney for the District of New Mexico. “Being able to communicate the type of message readily and efficiently will do a great deal to improve safety in Indian Country.”
A 2019 report from the Attorney General’s Office submitted to Congress said that out of 100 tribes across 26 states, 53 reported they had not received training on their states’ systems and 19 said they did not know how to access their states’ systems. Twenty-five tribes reported having alert systems that did not coordinate with the state systems.
Foster said she thinks that if the Amber Alert system had been more fully implemented when her daughter disappeared, she might have been saved.
“She should still be alive right now, enjoying life and dreaming about her future,” Foster said. “… I promised that I would do all that I can to fix a loophole in the system and fight for an Amber Alert, and I have kept my promise. I feel like there is so much more that can be done for Indian Country.”