The disappearance of Gabby Petito in Wyoming has renewed interest in a report that showed in the same state, 710 Indigenous people were reported missing from 2011 to 2020.
It has also regenerated awareness that missing minority children are typically not featured in most mainstream media outlets.
The disappearance and murders of poor minority women is without comparison to the national outcry over the tragedy that befell the young white woman, who went missing during a cross country vacation with her boyfriend.
When her body was discovered several days after he returned to his Florida home, a manhunt began but Brian Laundrie was nowhere to be found.
There are currently dozens of Black girls and other children missing from New Jersey with nearly 20 going missing in the first few months of this year, according to the Center for Missing and Exploited Children.
An investigative report by New York’s Amsterdam News from May, detailed multiple cases of missing Black adolescent girls who range in ages from 15 to 19.
“We’re seeing more and more young girls and boys lured into sex trafficking or meeting someone online,” said Natalie Wilson, co-founder of the Black and Missing Foundation. “These predators know how to navigate social media and they’re interacting with our children. Sadly, we’re seeing an uptick in kids who are going missing.”
Lindsey Vasquez, an 18-year-old, went missing from Woodbridge on Aug 30, 2021.
Alyssa I Hernandez is a biracial 15-year-old, who went missing from Trenton on Aug 12, 2021.
Destiny Lockett, an 18-year-old, went missing from Newark on January 20, 2021.
Gavin Rhodes is a 15-year-old, who went missing from Pine Hill on May 26, 2021.
These are just a few of the dozens of missing children that have not been prominently featured in news reports.