Citation

Hudhud M, Proescholdbell S, Norwood T, Cavalier-Keck C, Bell RA. Forensic Sci. Res. 2024; 9(1): owad057.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2024, Informa - Taylor and Francis Group)

DOI

10.1093/fsr/owad057

PMID

38545401

PMCID

PMC10965021

Abstract

Like other minoritized populations, American Indian/Alaska Native (AI/AN) females experience disparate morbidity and mortality outcomes to that of the general US population. This study identified discrepancies in reporting of AI/AN female decedents between the North Carolina Violent Death Reporting System (NC-VDRS) and an online, user-generated database. Female AI/AN decedent data of all ages were collected from the NC-VDRS and compared against that of the publicly available North Carolina Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women (MMIW NC) database for the study period, 2004-2019. Twenty-four of the 72 cases matched between data systems (33.3%). Substantive differences between the NC-VDRS and the MMIW NC database were found. Future efforts should be directed towards supporting Indigenous communities with the comprehensive data the NC-VDRS can provide. This paper highlights statewide public health systems like the NC-VDRS supporting community efforts to understand, advocate for, and disseminate information on MMIW.

Language: en

Keywords

homicide; Indigenous populations; injury and violence; North Carolina; prevention; women