A new documentary on the epidemic of missing and murdered Indigenous women (MMIW) as illustrated by the unsolved case of Mary Ellen Johnson-Davis’ disappearance on the Tulalip reservation has been released on streaming services.
“Missing From Fire Trail Road” follows the story of Johnson-Davis going missing from the Tulalip Indian Reservation north of Everett in December 2020. The 100-minute film depicts Johnson-Davis’ family and fellow tribal members investigating her case after it remained unsolved, highlighting how jurisdictional issues contribute to the high number of MMIW.
“I always wanted to go back and do a documentary on the epidemic. Let’s call it what it is. It’s an epidemic,” producer Sabrina Van Tassel said in a phone interview. “If you go into Indian country, it doesn’t matter which tribe. There is probably not one family who you will meet that’s not impacted by it.”
According to the National Institute of Justice, more than four out of five Indigenous women have experienced violence in their lifetime and 45 percent have experienced sexual violence. Additionally, the National Crime Information Center found there were 5,712 reports of missing Indigenous women and girls as of 2016.
Van Tassel has wanted to create a film bringing attention to MMIW since she first heard of the problem and learned about director Deborah Parker’s activism when Parker gave a speech to Congress in 2013.
“I was so outraged about everything I had learned,” Van Tassel said. “It was egregious to learn that some women were not treated equally and disappearing at an increasing pace.”
After Van Tassel wrapped up her 2020 documentary of “The State of Texas vs. Melissa,” which helped overturn Melissa Lucio’s death row sentence, she learned about Johnson-Davis when researching MMIW. The film was created over eight months on the Tulalip Indian Reservation and Lummi Nation.
“Missing From Fire Trail Road” is the Pickford’s selection for Native American Heritage Month, put on in partnership with CASCADIA International Women’s Film Festival. The film will be shown in a sold-out show and discussion with Van Tassel and Parker at the Pickford Film Center in Bellingham on Thursday, November 14.
“Missing from Fire Trail Road” is also available on Amazon Prime Video, YouTube, Google Play and Apple TV.
