Residents of three Native villages met with law enforcement officials last week to discuss a series of suspicious deaths and disappearances dating back decades.

The cases involved mostly Native men who died or went missing while visiting the city of Nome. They went unnoticed or unsolved until the recent murder of a young Native woman who had moved to Nome from a nearby village. A police officer is on trial for her death.

Residents of the villages said some of the cases may be linked to police brutality. Some said they didn't report the cases out of fear. Others said they received little or no help from the police in Nome.

Nome Police Chief Craig Moates said he is looking into the incidents. He was joined at the meetings by U.S. Attorney Tim Burgess. The FBI has assigned a team of serial homicide experts to investigate.

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Meetings discuss Nome's missing or dead (The Anchorage Daily News 11/20)
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Relevant Links:
City of Nome - http://www.nomealaska.org

Related Stories:
FBI to probe string of deaths, disappearances (11/14)