ARIZONA, USA — A woman from the Navajo Nation is on a long journey, walking from Arizona to Washington, D.C., hoping to gain attention to her aunt's disappearance and push the investigation forward.
Seraphine Warren has been walking for Ella Mae Begay since June 14, the 1-year anniversary of Begay’s disappearance.
“It gets really hard. And I just think that if I do the walk, I'll get a lot stronger at this and know what direction to go after,” said Warren through tears.
Sixty-three-year-old-Begay was a widowed rug weaver.
“She was just a sweet lady. She didn't, she doesn't deserve this. She needs to be home,” said Warren.
Begay was last seen driving away from her home at the Navajo Nation in Sweetwater, Ariz. around 2:30 a.m. She was in a Silver 2005 Ford F-150.
“She never came back. She would not answer her phone calls or nothing,” said Warren. “They said it seems like she left willingly.”
Since then, Warren has organized search parties because of her dissatisfaction with the scope of the investigation. She said she reached out to the President of the Navajo Nation, Jonathan Nez, several times about Begay’s case.
“I don't think I should be begging for his [Nez's] help. I think that all the equipment and everything should be in place, and then he should already have a plan when someone goes missing,” said Warren.
According to the U.S. Department of the Interior Indian Affairs, violence on reservations is much higher than the national average. It said thousands of native women have been left off the federal missing persons database.
On Indian reservations, the FBI shares federal law enforcement responsibility with the Bureau of Indian Affairs.
The Navajo Nation has its own police department to enforce its own laws, but a 2021 assessment found it has “dangerously low” staffing.
“This jurisdiction stuff is really, that's a barrier. That's a red tape that just covers us,” said Warren.
12 News reached out to the Navajo Nation about Ella Mae’s case, and the other unsolved crimes. The Navajo Nation hasn’t responded.
The FBI said it's an ongoing investigation.
Warren said she has met many families still seeking answers in their loved ones’ unsolved cases while on her walk.
“I just really want our law enforcement in our safety for our community to be to get better,” said Warren.
Not just for her sake, but for her entire community.
Warren plans to be in D.C. by October in hopes of talking to lawmakers.
If you'd like to help Warren on her journey, you can donate to her GoFundMe.
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