Blackfeet MMIP
Outreach
Missing Murdered Indigenous People
Our Team
Those of us working within Blackfeet MMIP have lived experience and understanding of the complexities involved in what we consider settler-colonial violence, making our work critical, impactful, empathetic, and Indigenous-centered. Our lived experiences and understanding of the complexities surrounding MMIP cases make our organization's work even more critical and impactful.
When we come together in a culturally appropriate trauma-informed space with humility and sensitivity we can make the changes necessary to improve the safety and circumstances for generations to come.
Our vision entails an interconnectedness among all available resources and awareness for those missing and encourage a healthy lifestyle for all involved by helping families cope with grief to crimes in reality state-wide, and nationally.
By acknowledging the helplessness and despair that can come with losing a loved one to violence, our experience of advocates is creating a safe and supportive space for families to navigate their grief and find a way forward.
When we can come together with humility, sensitivity, and culturally appropriate connection, in a trauma-informed space, we can make changes to better the safety and circumstances for generations, our children are our future. Our children matter.
Our organization is for all neighboring reservations, and all nationalities. We have helped families on and off the reservation in search of a missing loved one.
Each of our members are certified in outreach search and rescue. Blackfeet MMIP help bring home missing loved ones who have walked away from treatment facilities, group homes, are in situations where they lack additional help, means of funding, and providing support and resources to vulnerable individuals and families.
Our team believes that every person is important, and no task is too large.
The goal is to work collaboratively, with the focus being, to empower and offer healing pathways, to help support family members of MMIP are recognized as true experts, because our own lived experiences in the loss of a loved one.
Join us in our mission to honor and support Indigenous communities.
Together, we can make a difference.
Rhonda
Grant-Connelly
Founder | Executive Director
Employed With the Blackfeet IHS Community Hospital Pharmacy for 24 years.
MMIP Advocate for eight years. My nephew’s voice, Matthews Grant went missing and murdered in 2016.
Theodora Weatherwax
CHAIRPERSON
Retired from Browning School District of 42 years as a TA, Teacher and Principal Assistance. Graduated from U of M with a B. A. Degree. MT. State University earning M.E
Deborah Spottedeagle
Vice Chairperson
Retired from the Blackfeet boarding dorm of 32 years. Degree in Hospitality.
Our goal of empowering and offering healing pathway our team is deeply personal and rooted in the community's own experiences of loss and trauma.
Wilma
Fleury
Treasurer
Wilma is a teacher's aid for middle school and High School. She also works part time with a Domestic Violence program.
Graduate from BCC with a AA in Human Services.
Carlene
Old Person
Secretary
Carlene Old Person is
Chef for the Medicine Bear Shelter. She is a U.S. Army Veteran and a 63B-HB recovery Specialist.
Lea Wetzel
Poonoakki (Elk Women)
Member
Poonoakki (Elk Women) Lea Wetzel, Member
Lea is employed with Recovery Services Program Specialist under DPHHS. She represents the Blackfeet on the MT, DOJ MMIP Task Force, Browning Human Trafficking Task Force.
Marla
NightGun
Member
Marla is a Certified Technician with the Blackfeet food distribution center. She organizes various community events for youth.
Lisa
Old Person
Advisory Board
Retired .
Kenneth
Augare
Finance Advisor
Kenneth is the former Blackfeet Treasurer and Blackfeet Credit Director. He is self employed as a rancher.
Robert
Desrosier
Advisory Board
Retired from the Blackfeet Tribal Council as acting Vice Chairman. Attended the the Montana Law Enforcement Academy where he graduated and served as a a Montana Highway Patrolman. Robert Secured a grant from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and proceeds to help develop a nationally recognized Homeland Security.
VOLUNTEERS
Each of our members are certified in outreach search and rescue. Blackfeet MMIP help bring home missing loved ones who have walked away from treatment facilities, group homes, are in situations where they lack additional help, means of funding, and providing support and resources to vulnerable individuals and families.
VALUED PARTNER
Laurah Norton, is a writer, researcher, and host of The Fall Line podcast. On The Fall Line, Laurah focuses on cold cases from the American Southeast. She also hosts One Strange Thing podcast that shares unexplainable stories found in American news archives.
Laurah has 16 years of research and writing experience as a former academic in literary fiction, creative nonfiction, and archival and primary research.
Laurah released Lay Them to Rest in 2023, a true-crime book that shares Laurah’s experience while assisting in identifying a Jane Doe homicide victim found in an Illinois state park in 1993.
Laurah volunteers for the Board of Directors of the nonprofit, Season of Justice; she joined after seeing how many families were helped through awareness grants for their loved ones’ cases. She works with families, experts, and law enforcement in the Southeast and beyond to make sure cold cases that have received little attention get a media platform.
VALUED PARTNER
Ohkomi Forensics is an Indigenous-led, Montana-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that provides forensic services to the Indigenous communities and families affected by the Missing and Murdered Indigenous Peoples (MMIP) crisis.
For forensic consultation and case evaluation, please contact:
Executive Director, Haley Omeasoo at Haley.omeasoo@ohkomiforensics.com or
visit their website at www.ohkomiforensics.com.