DENVER (KDVR) — Law enforcement is searching for an Indigenous man who has been missing since last week prompting the Colorado Bureau of Investigation to issue a Missing Indigenous Person Alert.
Wanbli Vigil, 27, was last seen leaving the 3400 block of Knox Court on Dec. 29, 2022, around 2 p.m. He was last seen wearing blue jeans and a black jacket with white stripes.
Vigil is 6 feet, 1 inch tall, and weighs 180 pounds with black hair and brown eyes.
Anyone who has information on his whereabouts is asked to call the Denver Police Department at 720-913-2000.
CBI creates new alert for Indigenous people
Colorado is the second state in the U.S. to create the Missing Indigenous Person Alert, known as MIPA. The state joins Washington in creating an alert for missing Indigenous people.
The new alert went into effect on Jan. 1, 2023, and has guidelines for an alert to be issued:
- The missing person must have an active entry in the Colorado Crime Information Center
- The person must be Indigenous
- There must be enough information available to believe that the issuance of an alert will aid in the recovery of the missing person
- The request for an alert must come from law enforcement and they must notify CBI within eight hours of the initial report
The Missing and Murdered Indigenous Relatives Act passed in June last year was created to expand the investigation of missing and murdered Indigenous relative cases and helped create MIPA.