Arizona, USA — A woman from the Navajo tribe makes the long journey from Arizona to Washington, DC. disappearance of her aunt and proceed with the investigation.

Seraphine Warren has been walking for Ella May Bigay since June 14, the one-year anniversary of Bigay’s disappearance.

“It gets really hard, and I think if you do the walking, you’ll be stronger with this and know which direction to go,” Warren said through tears.

Begay, 63, was a widowed rug weaver.

“She was just a sweet lady. She didn’t, she didn’t deserve this. She needs to stay home,” Warren said.

Begay was last seen in a Silver 2005 Ford F-150 around 2:30 a.m. when she was driving from her Navajo home in Sweetwater, Arizona.

“She never came back. She never answered the phone or anything,” Warren said. “They said she seemed happy to leave.”

Warren has since organized a search party because she was dissatisfied with the scope of the investigation.

“I don’t think you should beg him [Nez’s] help. I think all the gear and everything should be in place and he should already have a plan for when someone goes missing,” Warren said.

according to U.S. Department of the Interior Indian Affairs, violence against reservations is much higher than the national average. Thousands of Indigenous women are left out of the federal missing persons database.

On Indian reservations, the FBI shares federal law enforcement responsibilities with the Bureau of Indian Affairs.

The Navajo Nation has its own police department that enforces its own laws, 2021 evaluation found the personnel to be “dangerously low”.

“This jurisdiction is really a barrier. It’s the bureaucracy that covers us,” Warren said.

12 News has reached out to Navajo Nation regarding the Ella Mae case and other unsolved crimes. Navajo Nation did not respond.

The FBI said an investigation is ongoing.

Warren said that during her walks, she met many families who wanted to solve the unsolved cases of their loved ones.

“I really want law enforcement to keep us safe so that our community can do better,” Warren said.

Not just for her, but for her entire community.

Warren is expected to be in DC by October in hopes of speaking to lawmakers.

If you want to help Warren’s journey, you can donate to her go fund me.

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