PHOENIX — Arizona lawmakers have unanimously passed a bill named for 14-year-old Emily Pike that would create an alert system for missing Indigenous people.
House Bill 2281, known as “Emily’s Law,” would direct the Arizona Department of Safety to establish a “turquoise alert” systemfor members of federally recognized tribes, including children and teens.
“I really do believe that it'll make a big difference in Indian Country,” Emily’s uncle, Allred Pike Jr., told ABC15.
The bill passed the House 57-0 on Wednesday and has been sent to Gov. Katie Hobbs. The measure originally passed the House in February but needed a final approval because it was amended in the Senate to include minors under the age of 18.
Steff Dosela, Emily Pike’s mother, told ABC15 in a text message that she was happy and thankful the bill had passed.
Emily, a 14-year-old San Carlos Apache girl, was reported missing from her Mesa group home in January. She was found dead on Feb. 14 off the U.S. 60 northeast of Globe. No Amber Alert was ever issued.
“It broke my heart,” said State Rep. Teresa Martinez, the bill sponsor. “And so it was important that we do a bill to prevent that from ever happening to anybody else's loved one ever again.”
The reward for information leading to an arrest in the case has doubled to $150,000 thanks to additional money from the FBI.
Martinez, a Republican from Legislative District 16, proposed the bill in January, before Emily’s disappearance was publicly known. The case has since drawn national attention, and her family met with FBI Director Kash Patel and Interior Secretary Doug Burgum on Missing and Murdered Indigenous Person’s Day on Monday.
“She’awéé’, shíyázhí, shimá, shizhé’é, shimásání, shicheii, my kids, my grandkids, my elders, we finally have hope that when we have someone missing in our family, that a message will be sent out,” said state Rep. Myron Tsosie, a Democrat from Legislative District 6 on the Navajo Nation.
He said his social media is filled with posts about missing Indigenous people, “mothers, fathers, crying for help, asking community members to look out for different individuals every single day.”
Emily’s uncle agreed that turquoise alerts are solely needed.
"It would just help a lot in Indian Country, because the jurisdictional issues, tribes, state and federal, I think a lot of Natives fall in between the cracks,” he said.
Martinez said she named the bill after Emily with the goal of saving lives.
“I want them to know that that this bill went through a lot of work and effort, and I mean a lot of work, to make sure that nobody drops through the cracks ever again,” she told ABC15.
Allred Pike said he is grateful that Democrats and Republicans came together to support the turquoise alert system.
“It’s emotional, you know,” he said. “We appreciate that it's named after my niece, but it reminds us that she's not here anymore.”
Native American and Alaska Native women and girls make up a significant portion of missing and murdered individuals, according to federal numbers. It’s an issue that’s not going away, Allred Pike said.
"But lawmakers are taking notice. They are addressing the issues,” he said. “We just can't let the issue die down.”
ABC15 also obtained a letter that state lawmakers sent San Carlos Apache tribal leaders earlier this week, requesting a response for a date they could participate in a legislative hearing. The focus of that hearing will be Emily's death and group home protocols.
At the beginning of April, ABC15 sat down with Senator Carine Werner.
Sen. Werner, Chair of the Health and Human Services Committee, said she was calling for that hearing. At the time, she was hopeful it would be around the corner.
"We have invited DCS, the tribal communities, law enforcement, and group homeowners will be invited as well," said Sen. Werner.
It's been more than a month, and yet there hasn't been a hearing. ABC15 learned the hearing was originally pushed back because of a scheduling conflict at the legislature.
But in the letter from lawmakers, it says staff have made repeated attempts over several weeks to confirm a schedule with tribal leaders.
The letter insisted, "time is of the essence".
ABC15 reached out to multiple tribal leaders on Wednesday regarding the letter.
Their spokesperson did confirm the Chairman had received it and intended to respond. Later in the day, ABC15 was told leadership had sent several potential dates to lawmakers, with the soonest being next week.
Earlier in the day, when asked, Emily's uncle believed that everyone could come together to help continue to make change.
"We all can work together to help make positive change," said Allred Pike. "Make improvements in policies, procedures, laws and whatever areas that need improvement."
