"The tale of unsolved serial rapes on the Fort Apache Reservation shows justice in chains.

Something has to change. Those who live on the reservations cannot be quiet about delayed and botched investigations like this one. They must speak out. They must make the rest of the country aware of what's happening in areas that are called sovereign Native American nations yet remain dependent on the federal government for justice when major crimes occur.

The federal government stonewalled The Arizona Republic's efforts to get information about crimes on the reservation. It took more than two years to get 3,300-plus pages that Republic reporter Dennis Wagner used to chronicle colossal failure and chilling disregard for young victims.

Federal agents did not launch a serious investigation until 20 months after the first of at least 17 sexual assaults on teenage girls. The community was not warned that a rapist dressed as a police officer was loose.

After the Bureau of Indian Affairs finally got involved, several suspects were arrested. The public was told the case was solved. But the suspects were exonerated and are now suing because they were swept up in investigations so flawed it is hard to believe they took place in 21st-century America."

Get the Story:
Editorial: Status quo makes mockery of justice (The Arizona Republic 9/15)

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Paper looks into botched Apache reservation rape investigation (9/13)