Ryan Tom went missing in Red Mesa, Arizona, on June 11, 2022. The Navajo man’s family filed a police report but said updates from authorities were little to none.
“We won’t simply forget about Ryan,” said his aunt Rosina Tom. “Even if it takes more than two, three, or four years, we still want to know what happened to him.”
To aid in the search, the family turned to the community-led 4 Corners K-9 Search and Rescue team.
Founded in 2022 by Bernadine Beyale, 4 Corners’ team of volunteers and certified cadaver and rescue dogs have proven to be a valuable resource for Navajo communities.
“When we realized the extent of the problem, with numerous families struggling to receive adequate assistance from various agencies, including police, we felt compelled to take action,” Beyale said.
Most tribal police departments face underfunding from the federal government, leading to low staffing, inadequate investigations and unreported cases. The Navajo Nation currently has over 77 missing person cases, some of which remain unsolved since the 1970s.
In response to this crisis, Beyale and her team have gone on over 100 searches for more than 30 Navajo families across Utah, Arizona, New Mexico and Colorado.
“These guys (K-9s) are fulfilling a vital purpose, and through that purpose, we are providing support to families in need,” Beyale said.
In the future, Beyale hopes to collaborate more closely with local and federal agencies and inspire Native communities to become their own resource.
“We aim to share the knowledge we have gained here and encourage other tribes to establish their own search and rescue teams,” Beyale concluded.
Watch the video above to see how this group uses the dogs and technology to search for people across 26,000 square miles.
