Marlys Big Eagle Appointed as South Dakota's New Missing and Murdered Indigenous People Liaison
Marlys Big Eagle, a member of the Crow Creek Sioux Tribe and a Fort Thompson resident, has been appointed as South Dakota's Missing and Murdered Indigenous People (MMIP) specialist. This role was previously held by Allison Morrisette, who became the first to serve in the position in 2022. Attorney General Marty Jackley announced Big Eagle's hiring, highlighting her extensive experience of over two decades working with crime victims. Big Eagle spent 27 years with the U.S. Department of Justice, including 23 years as the supervisory victim witness coordinator for the U.S. Attorney’s Office in South Dakota. For the past four years, she served as the agency’s first Native American outreach services liaison for MMIP cases in tribal areas, working from the department's Washington, D.C., executive office. The state-level liaison position was established by the Legislature in 2021 and, after initial funding by a nonprofit, was made permanent and state-funded through Attorney General Jackley's efforts. The liaison'...
