South Dakota has new coordinator to tackle backlog of missing and murdered cases

Attorney General Vargo made aggressive push to generate interest in the position following Ravnsborg removal

Pastor Jonathan Old Horse and South Dakota Attorney General Mark Vargo greet one another during an event this summer in Rapid City. (Submitted photo)

Nearly two years after being directed to hire a liaison for missing and murdered Indigenous persons, the Attorney General’s Office has for the first time filled the position.

Attorney General Mark Vargo this week will announce the hiring of two individuals who will help his office work with local and tribal law enforcement agencies on cases involving Native Americans who have gone missing as a result of human trafficking and murder, of which there are dozens of unsolved cases in South Dakota.

And he credits an aggressive push to raise awareness in the jobs for finally getting them filled.

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