Family of Misty Upham Call for Investigation into cause of Death
On October 16th, the body of Misty Upham was found after having been missing from her home on the Muckleshoot reservation since October 5th. A search party for Misty was coordinated by Misty’s family and members of Seattle’s Native community after the family received no support from the Auburn police department. Recent information to the family of Misty Upham have led them to call for a federal investigation into the possibility of foul play. The family is putting out a prayer to peoples hearts to come forward with information surrounding Misty’s death.
Upham Family Official Press Release:
This press release serves as a public update on the mysterious death of our daughter Misty Upham. The case of Misty Upham has taken a new turn. We have received new information that Misty met with foul play. The police have been notified and the family has requested that the FBI get involved in this investigation. The Medical Examiner Office was provided with this new information and urged the family to get the FBI involved.
The Upham family received information that Misty was murdered by two men in front of several witnesses. One witness has come forward but is afraid to talk to the police. The case of Misty Upham has been complicated by a lack of communication between Misty’s family and the local police department. Several contradictory statements were made to the press, by the Auburn PD, regarding Misty’s case. The Upham family had asked the Auburn PD for to help find her but they refused and now the family is requesting the Auburn PD to conduct a proper investigation to resolve her undetermined manner of death. This is not an isolated incident; Amnesty International has reported that Native women are four times more likely to become victim of violent crimes than the non-Native women and the have a higher percentage rate of unsolved investigation. They gone on to report that many police forces have failed to institute necessary measures – such as training, appropriate investigative protocols and accountability mechanisms – to eliminate bias in how they respond to the needs of Indigenous women and their families. The Upham family does not want to rely on the local law enforcement agencies to investigate the matter so we are obliged to launch our own investigation. So far we and our friends and extended family have uncovered several pieces of information including the anonymous witness. As a matter of protocol we are sharing our information with the Auburn PD. We have not received a reply from the Auburn PD on the evidence that was submitted by the friends and family and we have no communication with them regarding their investigation, if any, to this day.
The Upham family has contacted local news agencies to report the development and ask for help with information leading to the arrest and conviction of any individual or individuals responsible for Misty’s disappearance and subsequent death. But these requests were not answered so we are reaching out to other news agencies and publications. So far the only publication that have contacted us for information has been People magazine, The Guardian and Seattle Weekly. We will be raising money to conduct our own investigation which may include: Legal fees, professional consultation, Private Investigator fees, Communication, Print, Transportation and a Reward. We ask that you support our endeavor and help us find Justice for Misty.