March 3, 2024 • 31 mins
Dione Begay was born on March 28th, 1975. She was the eldest of six children and is described by her sister Christine as having a positive perspective on life and a witty sense of humor which is missed by her loved ones. Dione was beautiful, vibrant, outgoing, intelligent, and family-orientated. She was a mother of four daughters and had unique, close relationships with her entire family. Dione had several tribal connections via her parents, Debbie and Laffie Begay. Dione’s mother Debbie is part of the Dakotas ‘Yankton’ and ‘Arikara’ tribe, and her father, the ‘Navajo’ and ‘Dine’ tribe. As a Native American woman, Dione Begay is one of many Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women in New Mexico who is yet to receive justice, despite the brutality inflicted upon her and the obvious circumstances of the crime. Her family's pleas for help have also continued to be ignored. This is the story of Dione Begay Thomas.
Justice for Dion FB Page
https://www.facebook.com/JusticeforDioneThomas
Sources:
https://threesisterscollective.org/
https://sourcenm.com/2022/05/06/vigil-for-the-missing-and-stolen-reclaims-santa-fe-plaza/ https://www.iad.state.nm.us/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/NM_MMIWR_Report_FINAL_WEB_v120920.pdf https://gallupsun.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=7618:mystery-at-colonial-motel&catid=175:public-safety-&Itemid=602 https://www.iad.state.nm.us/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/MMIW-Task-Force-110819-Transcript-from-first-meeting.pdf https://www.iad.state.nm.us/about-us/history/#:~:text=New%20Mexico's%20Twenty%2DThree%20Tribes,of%20the%20state's%20entire%20population https://www.iad.state.nm.us/policy-and-legislation/missing-murdered-indigenous-women-relatives/
https://sourcenm.com/2022/05/05/justice-for-relatives/#:~:text=New%20Mexico%20has%20the%20highest,cases%20between%202014%20and%202019.
https://www.niwrc.org/resources/report/new-mexico-missing-and-murdered-indigenous-women-and-relatives-task-force-report https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2023/feb/03/murder-in-big-horn-showtime-docuseries-montana-missing-murdered-indigenous-women#:~:text=The%20roots%20of%20the%20MMIW,these%20federal%20policies%2C%20and%20as
Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/true-consequences-true-crime--4347262/support.
Justice for Dion FB Page
https://www.facebook.com/JusticeforDioneThomas
Sources:
https://threesisterscollective.org/
https://sourcenm.com/2022/05/06/vigil-for-the-missing-and-stolen-reclaims-santa-fe-plaza/ https://www.iad.state.nm.us/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/NM_MMIWR_Report_FINAL_WEB_v120920.pdf https://gallupsun.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=7618:mystery-at-colonial-motel&catid=175:public-safety-&Itemid=602 https://www.iad.state.nm.us/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/MMIW-Task-Force-110819-Transcript-from-first-meeting.pdf https://www.iad.state.nm.us/about-us/history/#:~:text=New%20Mexico's%20Twenty%2DThree%20Tribes,of%20the%20state's%20entire%20population https://www.iad.state.nm.us/policy-and-legislation/missing-murdered-indigenous-women-relatives/
https://sourcenm.com/2022/05/05/justice-for-relatives/#:~:text=New%20Mexico%20has%20the%20highest,cases%20between%202014%20and%202019.
https://www.niwrc.org/resources/report/new-mexico-missing-and-murdered-indigenous-women-and-relatives-task-force-report https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2023/feb/03/murder-in-big-horn-showtime-docuseries-montana-missing-murdered-indigenous-women#:~:text=The%20roots%20of%20the%20MMIW,these%20federal%20policies%2C%20and%20as
Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/true-consequences-true-crime--4347262/support.
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
(00:00):
On February fourth, The Minds ofMadness is set to release an investigate,
a four part series centered on acold case from nearly four decades ago.
At first it was just my mom'sgone, and then it became you know,
your mom was taken by a badman. They found video of him
killing women. If you'd never watchedany episodes of Breaking bad Or, that's
(00:23):
exactly what you would see. Youburied these eleven women and kept going out
there. He made a road goingout there. You've got this dude saying,
hey, I'm going to show yourfamily these pictures and like he's secretly
taping or the cops don't care.We're nothing to them, don't there like
a piece of garbage. General,I don't see anything that screams there's two
(00:44):
people doing this. I never thoughtanything was going to come by this case
ever. Listen to the Minds ofMadness series Who Killed Jennifers wherever you get
your podcasts, Hey, True Advocates, it's me Eric Carter Lundin and I
hope you are doing well. Sorry, it's been so long. It has
been a rough few weeks for meand my mom. We've just been trying
(01:07):
to come to terms with everything thathappened with Jacob's case. Speaking of that,
I am doing a little bit ofa different episode series for Crime Lines
and Consequences for the month of March, and if you haven't subscribed to that
show, I strongly recommend you do. It is myself and Charlie from Crime
Lines having conversations that talk about theissues related to true crime and things that
(01:33):
make you think. It's an amazingshow. We have a really good time
doing it and it's awesome to bepartnering with Charlie. But like I said,
I recorded an update on Jacob's caseand it's going to be coming out
in March. I'll also be releasingit on this feed as well, along
with a new interview with my momas we're coming through all of this information
(01:56):
and revelations related to Jacob's case.Finally, I just want to let you
know that I'm going to be atthe True Crime and Paranormal Podcast Festival in
Denver, Colorado. The True Crimeand Paranormal Podcast Festival is July twelfth through
the fourteenth of twenty twenty four inDenver, Colorado. Come and hang out
with me at the True Crime andParanormal Podcast Festival. Also, we're almost
(02:20):
a year away from Advocacy Con.Advocacy Con is my new conference that I
started with my friends Whitney and Melissafrom Navigating Advocacy. So excited to be
putting this conference on. There's goingto be amazing speakers, amazing resources,
as well as just the opportunity forfamily advocates to get to talk to pis,
to attorneys, to nonprofits. It'sgoing to be an incredible time.
(02:44):
Go to Advocacycon dot com for moreinformation. If you want to go to
True Crime and Paranormal Podcast Festival,go to Truecrime Podcast Festival dot com.
And I think that's pretty much it. The only other thing I want to
remind you of is Angels Voices SilenceNo More, my nonprofit that I started
with my mom to help families whoare fighting for justice in New Mexico.
(03:06):
We provide grants that pay for thingslike funeral expenses, counseling, private investigations,
DNA testing, lots of things tohelp families of the missing and murdered
to make sure that their advocacy effortsare able to be successful and that they
that they no longer feel alone inthe fight for justice. So go to
Angels Voices and m dot org formore information. All right, that is
(03:32):
enough of me blabbing. Let's getinto the case. This episode does contain
mentions of domestic violence and sexual assault. Listener discretion is advised. This episode
was written and researched by Fern Bushnell. On Saturday, April twenty fifth,
twenty fifteen, the Gallop Police Departmentwere called to the Colonial Motel twice by
(03:54):
neighbors with concerns about the occupants ofRoom one fifty five. Time the police
showed up, they spoke with theoccupants and no further action was taken.
That was until six pm, whena third nine to one one call was
made reporting an unconscious female found inthe room. Despite the occupant's claiming it
must have been an accident, thescene suggested otherwise, and within twenty four
(04:17):
hours the female would be pronounced dead. This is the story of Dion Bigey
Thomas. I'm Eric carterlan Den andthis is true Consequences. Dion Bagay was
(05:10):
born on March twenty eighth, nineteenseventy five. She was the oldest of
six children and is described by hersister Christine as having a positive perspective on
life and a witty sense of humor. She is dearly missed by her loved
ones. Dion was a beautiful,vibrant, outgoing, intelligent and family oriented
(05:31):
woman. She was the mother offour daughters and had unique and close relationships
with her entire family. Dion hadseveral tribal connections. Dion had several tribal
connections through her parents, Debbie andLaffi Biget Debbie and Laffy Bgey. Dion's
mother, Debbie, is part ofthe Dakota's Youngton and Arikara tribe, and
(05:55):
her father the Navajo or dene Asa Native American woman and Dean. Baguay
is one of the many missing andmurdered Indigenous women from New Mexico who are
yet to receive justice despite the brutallyinflict Despite the brutality inflicted upon her and
the obvious circumstances of the crime,her families, please for help, have
(06:16):
continued to be ignored. We've talkeda lot about missing and murdered indigenous people
on this show, and the statisticsthat we're about to go over we've talked
about before as well. But Ibelieve it's important to continue to reiterate these
facts as the ongoing crisis of missingand murdered Indigenous women continues across the nation,
(06:38):
and although these statistics already seem alarming, they're probably not accurate. The
picture is much larger than what isactually reported. Lots of families and communities
affected by these crimes have spoken abouta lack of concern for their missing and
murdered loved ones. They receive littleto know tension from police or media from
(07:00):
the beginning, and in many cases, police reports are never filed. It's
extremely difficult to find in an exactnumber of MMIW cases currently being investigated.
The National Crime Information Center reported fivetwo hundred and three active cases of missing
Indigenous women throughout the US in twentytwenty one. They added that Indigenous women
(07:24):
are twice as likely to be victimsof rape than white women. The Native
Women's Wilderness Organization says that over halfof Indigenous women have reported sexual violence and
physical abuse within their relationships. Mostconcerning of all, the evidence shows that
the third leading cause of death forIndigenous women is murder. More specifically in
(07:45):
New Mexico, the Bureau of IndianAffairs state that Native American people make up
approximately eleven percent of the population,and data provided by the MMIW Task Force
shows that New Mexico continues to holdthe highest rate of MW cases when compared
to the rest of the country.Gallop New Mexico, the location of the
(08:05):
crime in this case, is recognizedas one of the top ten most dangerous
cities to live in as a NativeAmerican woman. The reality is that cases
involving Native Americans regularly lack even abasic investigation, and agencies are known to
work together to wrongfully classify suspicious deathsas accidents, suicides, or even the
(08:28):
result of natural causes in order toquickly remove the case from their workload.
In some cases, victims have beencremated without the consent of their family prior
to a criminal investigation taking place,eliminating the chance of finding any evidence to
be used in any kind of investigation. Because of this, the National Women's
(08:50):
Indigenous Resource Center explained that families andcommunities of Native American women must conduct their
own investigations into their missing or murderedloved ones due to the unwillingness of police
to prioritize these victims. In manycases, it's the families of the victims
who will eventually locate their loved one'sbody, and many of these factors continue
(09:11):
to be a theme throughout Dion's caseas her sister Christine continues to advocate for
justice and keep Dion's story at theforefront of people's minds. The following background
information was obtained from my good friendand co host Charlie from the Crime Lines
podcast. She also covers Dion's caseas part of her MMIW series. Charlie
(09:31):
also provides a brief history of thetribes that Dion's family was a part of.
If you're interested in learning more aboutthe history of the Bagat family,
go check out Charlie's podcast. Andeven if you're not interested in that,
still go check out Charlie's podcast.She is an amazing storyteller. Thank you
Charlie for providing this research for us. Diane was married in her twenties.
(09:52):
However, the marriage eventually broke downand the pair had separated. In her
thirties, she reconnected and began arelationship with an old high school friend,
Anthony Ray. Anthony's negative influence onDion's life quickly became apparent, and Dion
began to become more distant from herfamily and friends, as well as her
children. Dion and Anthony were oftenunreachable for long periods of time and could
(10:16):
not be pinned down to one place. They traveled around together, staying in
motels and other means of temporary accommodationthroughout the state of New Mexico and more
specifically in Gallop. During this difficultperiod of her life, Dion increasingly began
to get into trouble with law enforcement, and her parents had obtained full custody
(10:37):
of her four children. Her familybelieved that Dion and Anthony had become dependent
on alcohol, and were also awarethat Dion was experiencing domestic violence within her
relationship. This created an obvious streambetween Dion and her parents, who did
not approve of the relationship because theywere worried for her safety. However,
they did not want to push heraway and made it clear to Dion that
(11:01):
she was welcome to come home whenevershe wanted, insisting that they would always
be there for her if she reachedout to them. The family would receive
updates about the status of Dion andAnthony's relationship through several of Dion's closest friends,
Unfortunately, the Bagat family had notheard from Dion in a few days
prior to her murder, and theyhave also had to piece together the following
(11:24):
information themselves by obtaining witness statements andpolice reports. Gallop, New Mexico,
sits on the outskirts of the NavajoNation and is around one hundred and forty
miles west of Albuquerque. Gallup issituated on Route sixty six, a historic
highway that stretches two thy four hundredand forty eight miles between Chicago and Los
Angeles. It was in Gallup's ColonialMotel along Route sixty six where Dion and
(11:48):
Anthony were staying together during this period. Her sister Christine describes a colonial motel
as a motel known locally for housingcriminals, people who are running, and
the un housed. Christine says thatpolice officers were aware of the unsafe reputation
that the Colonial motel had during thatperiod, and they were also very aware
(12:09):
of the danger presented by Dion's abusiveboyfriend, Anthony Ray. Despite this,
on Saturday April twenty fifth, twentyfifteen, when police began to receive reports
of domestic of a domestic disturbance,occurring in room one fifty five. They
did not take appropriate action and leftDion in an extremely vulnerable situation. According
(12:31):
to the police report, a neighborstaying in room one fifty six had called
the police at nine oh seven inthe morning to report that they heard yelling,
banging, and screaming coming from theroom next door. When officers Luke
Martin and Franci Martinez arrived at themotel, they knocked on room one fifty
five. They were greeted by ashort, heavy set Native American male who
(12:52):
would later turn out to be MiltonGarnanies, Anthony Ray's brother in law.
The police. This report goes onto say that Milton insisted everything was okay,
and the police officer observed two femaleswithin the room who were talking and
laughing. Milton also indicated that AnthonyRay was in the shower singing. The
officer noted a pack of beer andan intoxicating odor of liquor coming from the
(13:16):
room. Officer Martinez told the groupto keep it down and was reassured by
Milton that they would. Before thetwo officers left. Another report came in
approximately four and a half hours later, at one forty one pm, another
disturbance from room one fifty five.This time the neighbor reported that Anthony Ray
(13:37):
was yelling, cussing, and threateningto fight him. Officer Martinez returned to
the Colonial Hotel and this time statesthat he met with Anthony Ray directly.
He again notes the overwhelming smell ofliquor coming from Anthony and asked him to
explain what was going on. Anthonytold the officer he was angry because the
neighbor kept calling the police to complainand described an argument between them where Anthony
(14:01):
accused the neighbor of probably being achild molester that was in quotes. After
confirming with the motel staff that Anthonywas registered to the room, Officer Martinez
returned to Anthony Ray and received anapology from him. Anthony told the officer
that he would apologize to the neighborand that he would be quiet, and
with that, the officers left.There's no mention within the police report of
(14:26):
Dion's well being during this visit.However, another nine to one one call
was placed at approximately six pm thevery same day. This time, paramedics
were requested by Anthony Ray. Heclaimed to have quote discovered Dion Baguay Thomas,
unresponsive in their motel room. Whileon the phone with nine one one,
(14:46):
Anthony Ray said that he believed thatDion had fell and hit her head.
Upon arrival to the scene, theEMTs Josh Bond and Kyle Leslie were
immediately suspicious of the two males present. Initial meets the year reports state that
Dion was bleeding from the head andunconscious, and both EMTs reported that it
looked as though somebody had attempted toput clothes on Dion, as her underwear
(15:09):
was not on correctly. There werealso signs that someone had attempted to clean
her up. Dion was rushed tothe Gallop Indian Medical Hospital and police were
called to the hospital due to thesuspicion that Dion had been sexually assaulted.
Officer Francy Martinez arrived at the hospitalat around eight pm and recognized the males
(15:31):
as those he had encountered in theColonial hotel earlier that day, Anthony Ray
and Milton Garnanes. Officer Martinez thenspoke to Anthony to obtain his version of
events. Anthony claimed that he andMilton had left the motel at around five
thirty pm, to go to theFire Rock Casino to cash in a winning
voucher worth around forty dollars so thatthey could pay their rent. He stated
(15:56):
that Dion remained in the motel duringthis time, and when they returned around
ten minutes later, the pair wereunable to get into their motel room.
Anthony claims that he knocked repeatedly,but Dion didn't answer, so he asked
the maid for assistance to let themback into the room. After gaining entry,
the police report states that Anthony wentto the restroom while Milton was doing
(16:17):
his quote thing in the room.He claimed that after he came out of
the restroom, he went to wakeup Dion, who appeared to be asleep.
It was then that he noticed Dionwas bleeding from her head and blood
was visible on her hand. Heand Milton then began looking for a blood
trail, but were unable to locateone, and after failing to wake up
Dion or gain any response from her, they decided to call nine one one.
(16:44):
When questioned further, Anthony stated thatthe pair had been drinking for two
weeks straight. When he and Miltonhad left her in the motel room,
Dion was intoxicated and watching TV.He believed that Dion may have hit her
head on the bedpost and fallen tothe floor, and that the blood on
her hand may have been the resultof her holding her hand to her head
Following the initial injury. However,police began to question his version of events,
(17:08):
and given the circumstances earlier that day, they immediately suspected foul play occurred.
Doctors informed Detective Tanisha Wilson that Dionwas noted as having a subdural hematoma
as well as a cut on herforehead, and she showed signs of injury
which indicated a sexual assault. Atapproximately nine pm, medical staff determined that
(17:29):
Dion's injuries were too severe to betreated at the Gallop Indian Medical Center,
and Dion was flown to the TraumaCenter at the University of New Mexico Hospital
in Albuquerque. Shortly after, Dion'sfamily were notified. Christine says that Dion
was covered in tubes, unconscious,and had visible bruising all over her body.
Sadly, the family were told thatDion was unlikely to survive due to
(17:52):
her severe brain injury, and atnine twenty one am the next morning,
Dion was pronounced dead by medical staff. Her official cause of death was listed
as blunt force trauma to the head. Dion was only forty years old.
The investigation into Dion's murder began immediately. An officer secured the motel room and
began to speak to the occupants ofthe neighboring rooms to find out more information
(18:17):
about what occurred. It was thesewitnesses who provided a more harrowing view of
events that painted an entirely different picturefrom what Anthony Ray had initially claimed in
the hospital. The first people thepolice spoke to that day were the motel
owner and his son, Kevin Kumar. Earlier that day, Kevin had witnessed
(18:37):
Anthony Ray angrily leaving his motel room, shouting fuck you as he angrily slammed
the door to the room behind him. Mister Kumar asked Anthony to keep it
down, to which Anthony replied,who the fuck are you? This was
the first time you've heard me beingallowed to day. Mister Kumar decided not
to engage with Anthony and walked away, un observed Anthony walking up to the
(19:02):
passenger side of his truck. Secondwitness, Cheryl Wilson, was walking by
the motel at around three pm whenshe heard a male yelling at a female,
but could not see which male itwas. Cheryl was then approached by
a female named Shannon, who askedCheryl if she was aware that Anthony Ray
had a girlfriend. Cheryl replied thatshe didn't know. Shannon then told her
(19:23):
that she had observed the female Anthony'sgirlfriend bleeding from the head. Cheryl responded
that she didn't know either Dion orAnthony and carried on past the motel.
Police then spoke to Charles Gonzalez,who was occupying room one fifty four next
door to Dion and Anthony. Heclaimed that at two pm he heard Anthony
(19:44):
Ray and a female arguing, andquoted the female as saying, you disrespect
me, you had sex with her, before the female left the motel room
in a hurry. It is notclear whether this female was Dion or the
other unknown female observed by officers earlierthat morning. Finally, police spoke to
Daniel Skeene, who observed Milton Garnanezget into the White Man outside of the
(20:04):
motel after officers had left for thesecond time that day. When he returned,
Milton was unable to get back intothe motel room and waited in the
ban for around forty five minutes forAnthony Ray to return. Daniel noted that
Anthony was also unable to gain accessto the room at this time. These
witness statements provide a clear picture ofthat day, involving Anthony Ray's violent mood,
(20:29):
his physical and verbal abuse to Dion, an observation of her bleeding from
the head hours before the ambulance wascalled, and clear discrepancies in the timeline
of when Milton and Anthony were presentin the room with Dion. Despite this,
Anthony Ray denies an argument took placebetween him and Dion and claims that
there was no physical altercation between them. His statement that Dion was drunk would
(20:53):
turn out to be false, asher family later received a copy of the
toxicology report that you did these claims. The officers finished taking witness statements at
around ten pm on the evening ofApril twenty fifth, before locating and towing
Milton Garnanis's vehicle back to the GallupPolice Department where further analysis could be conducted
(21:14):
by investigators. On May one,twenty fifteen, Gallup Police Captain Rick White
made a statement to the Gallup's son, stating, quote, we are actively
investigating this as a homicide end quote. This is also what the investigating officers
led the Bigat family to believe.Christine said that in the initial days of
the investigation, they were happy theywere being taken seriously, and they worked
(21:38):
with police and supported everything that theywere doing as they believed they were investigating
the circumstances of Dion's death. Shesays, the family went to the police
station, met with a district attorney, and worked alongside investigators to be as
cooperative as possible. Eventually, theywere told to let the police do their
jobs, as they quote already knewit was Anthony Ray. They were aware
(22:00):
that he was abusive to Dion,and his long history of felony charges told
them everything they needed to know aboutAnthony's character. Eventually, though, the
Bigay family began to grow frustrated withthe lack of communication from detectives working Dion's
case, and they would only receiveupdates when they persisted in asking for them.
(22:21):
Like many families of murdered Indigenous women, they began their own investigation.
They compiled as much information as possibleto support their case. Christine said that
the family returned to making repeated visitsto the police station and calling for updates.
Her mother, Debbie, would documentall attempts of communication on their part,
which often were ignored by police,and despite claiming to know exactly what
(22:42):
happened and reassuring the family that AnthonyRay would be found responsible, the reality
of what happened was the complete opposite. The day that Dion was attacked,
Anthony Ray had charges filed against himfor the aggravated assault of a family member.
However, he only spent a fewhours hours and police custody that evening
before he was released back to thepublic. In addition, the motel room
(23:04):
that Dion and Anthony shared was cleanedand reopened to the public just a few
days after her murder. Christine saysthat Anthony moved to a new room a
few doors down from one fifty fiveand shamelessly took all of Dion's possessions with
him, which angered her family evenmore. In a meeting held by the
New Mexico m MIW Task Force,Christine documents how helpless they all felt during
(23:27):
this period. She said that intwenty eighteen, the family met with the
district attorney and were left feeling dismissed. Although Dia admitted that he had thought
the investigation wasn't as thorough as itcould have been, he gave them the
impression that he had no intention tofollow up on the case and did not
offer any kind of assistance to changethe outcome. Christine explained that, similarly
(23:48):
to the information discussed earlier, Dion'smurder continues to be considered quote unclassified until
official charges are filed, and becauseof this, Dion is not included in
the statistics of m MIW cases inNew Mexico. Christine is quoted as saying,
at this point in time, herofficial ruling of death is undetermined,
and we cannot as a family doanything to change that. We've done everything,
(24:11):
we made calls, we've gone inperson. It will not be classified
as a homicide because we have sevenyears of a statute of limitations to press
charges against her boyfriend, and ifnothing happens from outside political public pressure,
we know that charges will not go. We can go and sit at the
district Attorney's office. We can makephone calls, we can go in person,
(24:32):
we can demand justice. We canbe as polished, polite, respectful,
educated as we want to be inall of this, and it will
not move the system that has allowedfor this to go on for so long.
The precedent has been set in gallopedNew Mexico. If you want to
get away with murder, do itthere and make sure that it's a Native
woman because they won't come looking forwho did it. This I know,
(24:57):
I've seen it. It's heartbreaking andunfortunately it is the reality that many families
of the missing and murdered Indigenous peopleexperience. It is so common. Christine's
experience battling with the justice system hasleft her feeling totally helpless when fighting for
(25:21):
Dion. These feelings are also sharedby her family. The Task Force meeting
held in Albuquerque in twenty nineteen wasan opportunity for the relatives and communities of
m MIW to come together to discusstheir shared experiences of police and competence and
failure to prosecute when it came toinvestigating cases of their loved ones. Dion's
aunt Charlotte described the first few monthsfollowing Dion's death as foggy. The family
(25:47):
didn't know what to do and continueto hope that they would receive a call
from police to say that an arresthad been made, but the call never
came. Charlotte explained that one thingthat she wished she had been offered following
Dion's death with counseling. She struggledto come to terms of what had happened
while also consoling other members of herfamily who were also struggling with grief.
(26:11):
She states that as a Native Americanmother, she finds it hard to reach
out for help because of the stigmaassociated with receiving counseling or support from social
workers. She said this makes herfeel as though she is weak or that
something is wrong with her. However, having good protocols in place allowing people
to access support would have really helpedduring those initial months following Dion's death.
(26:33):
Following this meeting, the Missing andMurdered Indigenous Women and Relatives Report was published
in twenty twenty, highlighting Dion's case. The report outlined several recommendations to tackle
the ongoing crisis of m MIIW casesin New Mexico. This includes the importance
of data involving missing and murdered Indigenouswomen being recorded and documented accurately, the
(26:55):
need for support packages to be offeredto grieving families, providing additional resources to
the tribal justice system to enable successfulprosecutions, preventative methods such as educational packages
such as educational programs designed to promotesafety within indigenous communities, Law enforcement recommendations
(27:15):
such as establishing a permanent mmiw taskforce, including a cold case team for
cases exactly like Dion's, and finally, the development of community resources available to
those in tribal communities. In conclusion, they emphasize the work carried out to
create the report is an ongoing workin progress, and they add quote,
(27:36):
we learn that families and survivors mustbe centered and must continue to guide the
work moving forward as knowledgeable resources onall areas of MMIWR. The willingness and
participation of these brave voices guided thework of this task force. Unfortunately,
the governor disbanded this task force andno longer. Throughout the initial meeting and
(28:02):
the final report with the m MIIWTask Force, Dion's sister, Christine spoke
of the emotional effects that the lossof Dion has brought to her entire family.
Dion's four daughters were devastated by theloss of their mother, and their
lives were impacted heavily as a result. The cruel way that Dion was taken
and the way they were treated bylaw enforcement added to their feelings of frustration
(28:23):
and despair. After learning that AnthonyRay had been released just hours after his
arrest while Dion was being flown toYou and MH for an emergency surgery,
these feelings continued to worsen and familybegan to scramble for answers. Christine admitted
that her experience of being ignored bythe police and several other organizations that she
(28:45):
hoped would help led her to completelack of faith in the justice system.
Charlotte, Dion's aunt, says thatshe cried daily for Dion's children, who
were visibly shocked, angry, andconfused by the loss of their mother,
and she explained that they continue tohave these feelings despite the many years that
have passed. In May twenty twentytwo, hundreds of people gathered in the
(29:08):
Santa Fe Plaza to mark the finalday of the twenty twenty two National Walk
of Action of MMIWR. The eventwas held by the Three Sisters Collective,
an organization established in twenty seventeen,which seeks to create safe spaces for Indigenous
people across the state. On theirwebsite, the Three Sisters Collective right that
(29:30):
they have hosted several events to bringawareness to the MMIW crisis. They also
offer education, self defense classes,and more. During the vigil, the
co founder of the organization, ChristinaCastro, read aloud the names of the
many missing and murdered women within thecommunity. This portion of the vigil took
(29:52):
around ten minutes to complete and demonstratedthe vast number of victims listed, as
well as the devastation left behind.At the vigil, Christina Castro's quota das
saying, we deserve to be human, We deserve to live with integrity as
Indigenous women and matriarchs and two spiritedrelatives. So speak loud, Speak those
(30:14):
names into the universe and keep thememory of our loved ones alive. Dion's
Sister hopes to create change for familieslike hers and many others who may not
have the resources to fight publicly.She uses her experience to bring attention to
the many disparities that the loved onesof the m MIIW face and the impact
of her words within the Task Forcereport demonstrate the importance of victim participation when
(30:37):
demanding change and justice. Christine runsa Facebook page called Justice for Dion Thomas,
where she shares updates on Dion's case. She talks about her work with
the Task Force and other online eventsintended to spread awareness about the MMIWR crisis.
If you have any information or tipsabout Dion's case, please contact at
(31:00):
either the Facebook page or the GallupPolice at five oh five eight six three
nine three six five or five ohfive seven two two two two eight one.
Thanks for listening, and stay safeNew Mexico.
On February fourth, The Minds ofMadness is set to release an investigate,
a four part series centered on acold case from nearly four decades ago.
At first it was just my mom'sgone, and then it became you know,
your mom was taken by a badman. They found video of him
killing women. If you'd never watchedany episodes of Breaking bad Or, that's
(00:23):
exactly what you would see. Youburied these eleven women and kept going out
there. He made a road goingout there. You've got this dude saying,
hey, I'm going to show yourfamily these pictures and like he's secretly
taping or the cops don't care.We're nothing to them, don't there like
a piece of garbage. General,I don't see anything that screams there's two
(00:44):
people doing this. I never thoughtanything was going to come by this case
ever. Listen to the Minds ofMadness series Who Killed Jennifers wherever you get
your podcasts, Hey, True Advocates, it's me Eric Carter Lundin and I
hope you are doing well. Sorry, it's been so long. It has
been a rough few weeks for meand my mom. We've just been trying
(01:07):
to come to terms with everything thathappened with Jacob's case. Speaking of that,
I am doing a little bit ofa different episode series for Crime Lines
and Consequences for the month of March, and if you haven't subscribed to that
show, I strongly recommend you do. It is myself and Charlie from Crime
Lines having conversations that talk about theissues related to true crime and things that
(01:33):
make you think. It's an amazingshow. We have a really good time
doing it and it's awesome to bepartnering with Charlie. But like I said,
I recorded an update on Jacob's caseand it's going to be coming out
in March. I'll also be releasingit on this feed as well, along
with a new interview with my momas we're coming through all of this information
(01:56):
and revelations related to Jacob's case.Finally, I just want to let you
know that I'm going to be atthe True Crime and Paranormal Podcast Festival in
Denver, Colorado. The True Crimeand Paranormal Podcast Festival is July twelfth through
the fourteenth of twenty twenty four inDenver, Colorado. Come and hang out
with me at the True Crime andParanormal Podcast Festival. Also, we're almost
(02:20):
a year away from Advocacy Con.Advocacy Con is my new conference that I
started with my friends Whitney and Melissafrom Navigating Advocacy. So excited to be
putting this conference on. There's goingto be amazing speakers, amazing resources,
as well as just the opportunity forfamily advocates to get to talk to pis,
to attorneys, to nonprofits. It'sgoing to be an incredible time.
(02:44):
Go to Advocacycon dot com for moreinformation. If you want to go to
True Crime and Paranormal Podcast Festival,go to Truecrime Podcast Festival dot com.
And I think that's pretty much it. The only other thing I want to
remind you of is Angels Voices SilenceNo More, my nonprofit that I started
with my mom to help families whoare fighting for justice in New Mexico.
(03:06):
We provide grants that pay for thingslike funeral expenses, counseling, private investigations,
DNA testing, lots of things tohelp families of the missing and murdered
to make sure that their advocacy effortsare able to be successful and that they
that they no longer feel alone inthe fight for justice. So go to
Angels Voices and m dot org formore information. All right, that is
(03:32):
enough of me blabbing. Let's getinto the case. This episode does contain
mentions of domestic violence and sexual assault. Listener discretion is advised. This episode
was written and researched by Fern Bushnell. On Saturday, April twenty fifth,
twenty fifteen, the Gallop Police Departmentwere called to the Colonial Motel twice by
(03:54):
neighbors with concerns about the occupants ofRoom one fifty five. Time the police
showed up, they spoke with theoccupants and no further action was taken.
That was until six pm, whena third nine to one one call was
made reporting an unconscious female found inthe room. Despite the occupant's claiming it
must have been an accident, thescene suggested otherwise, and within twenty four
(04:17):
hours the female would be pronounced dead. This is the story of Dion Bigey
Thomas. I'm Eric carterlan Den andthis is true Consequences. Dion Bagay was
(05:10):
born on March twenty eighth, nineteenseventy five. She was the oldest of
six children and is described by hersister Christine as having a positive perspective on
life and a witty sense of humor. She is dearly missed by her loved
ones. Dion was a beautiful,vibrant, outgoing, intelligent and family oriented
(05:31):
woman. She was the mother offour daughters and had unique and close relationships
with her entire family. Dion hadseveral tribal connections. Dion had several tribal
connections through her parents, Debbie andLaffi Biget Debbie and Laffy Bgey. Dion's
mother, Debbie, is part ofthe Dakota's Youngton and Arikara tribe, and
(05:55):
her father the Navajo or dene Asa Native American woman and Dean. Baguay
is one of the many missing andmurdered Indigenous women from New Mexico who are
yet to receive justice despite the brutallyinflict Despite the brutality inflicted upon her and
the obvious circumstances of the crime,her families, please for help, have
(06:16):
continued to be ignored. We've talkeda lot about missing and murdered indigenous people
on this show, and the statisticsthat we're about to go over we've talked
about before as well. But Ibelieve it's important to continue to reiterate these
facts as the ongoing crisis of missingand murdered Indigenous women continues across the nation,
(06:38):
and although these statistics already seem alarming, they're probably not accurate. The
picture is much larger than what isactually reported. Lots of families and communities
affected by these crimes have spoken abouta lack of concern for their missing and
murdered loved ones. They receive littleto know tension from police or media from
(07:00):
the beginning, and in many cases, police reports are never filed. It's
extremely difficult to find in an exactnumber of MMIW cases currently being investigated.
The National Crime Information Center reported fivetwo hundred and three active cases of missing
Indigenous women throughout the US in twentytwenty one. They added that Indigenous women
(07:24):
are twice as likely to be victimsof rape than white women. The Native
Women's Wilderness Organization says that over halfof Indigenous women have reported sexual violence and
physical abuse within their relationships. Mostconcerning of all, the evidence shows that
the third leading cause of death forIndigenous women is murder. More specifically in
(07:45):
New Mexico, the Bureau of IndianAffairs state that Native American people make up
approximately eleven percent of the population,and data provided by the MMIW Task Force
shows that New Mexico continues to holdthe highest rate of MW cases when compared
to the rest of the country.Gallop New Mexico, the location of the
(08:05):
crime in this case, is recognizedas one of the top ten most dangerous
cities to live in as a NativeAmerican woman. The reality is that cases
involving Native Americans regularly lack even abasic investigation, and agencies are known to
work together to wrongfully classify suspicious deathsas accidents, suicides, or even the
(08:28):
result of natural causes in order toquickly remove the case from their workload.
In some cases, victims have beencremated without the consent of their family prior
to a criminal investigation taking place,eliminating the chance of finding any evidence to
be used in any kind of investigation. Because of this, the National Women's
(08:50):
Indigenous Resource Center explained that families andcommunities of Native American women must conduct their
own investigations into their missing or murderedloved ones due to the unwillingness of police
to prioritize these victims. In manycases, it's the families of the victims
who will eventually locate their loved one'sbody, and many of these factors continue
(09:11):
to be a theme throughout Dion's caseas her sister Christine continues to advocate for
justice and keep Dion's story at theforefront of people's minds. The following background
information was obtained from my good friendand co host Charlie from the Crime Lines
podcast. She also covers Dion's caseas part of her MMIW series. Charlie
(09:31):
also provides a brief history of thetribes that Dion's family was a part of.
If you're interested in learning more aboutthe history of the Bagat family,
go check out Charlie's podcast. Andeven if you're not interested in that,
still go check out Charlie's podcast.She is an amazing storyteller. Thank you
Charlie for providing this research for us. Diane was married in her twenties.
(09:52):
However, the marriage eventually broke downand the pair had separated. In her
thirties, she reconnected and began arelationship with an old high school friend,
Anthony Ray. Anthony's negative influence onDion's life quickly became apparent, and Dion
began to become more distant from herfamily and friends, as well as her
children. Dion and Anthony were oftenunreachable for long periods of time and could
(10:16):
not be pinned down to one place. They traveled around together, staying in
motels and other means of temporary accommodationthroughout the state of New Mexico and more
specifically in Gallop. During this difficultperiod of her life, Dion increasingly began
to get into trouble with law enforcement, and her parents had obtained full custody
(10:37):
of her four children. Her familybelieved that Dion and Anthony had become dependent
on alcohol, and were also awarethat Dion was experiencing domestic violence within her
relationship. This created an obvious streambetween Dion and her parents, who did
not approve of the relationship because theywere worried for her safety. However,
they did not want to push heraway and made it clear to Dion that
(11:01):
she was welcome to come home whenevershe wanted, insisting that they would always
be there for her if she reachedout to them. The family would receive
updates about the status of Dion andAnthony's relationship through several of Dion's closest friends,
Unfortunately, the Bagat family had notheard from Dion in a few days
prior to her murder, and theyhave also had to piece together the following
(11:24):
information themselves by obtaining witness statements andpolice reports. Gallop, New Mexico,
sits on the outskirts of the NavajoNation and is around one hundred and forty
miles west of Albuquerque. Gallup issituated on Route sixty six, a historic
highway that stretches two thy four hundredand forty eight miles between Chicago and Los
Angeles. It was in Gallup's ColonialMotel along Route sixty six where Dion and
(11:48):
Anthony were staying together during this period. Her sister Christine describes a colonial motel
as a motel known locally for housingcriminals, people who are running, and
the un housed. Christine says thatpolice officers were aware of the unsafe reputation
that the Colonial motel had during thatperiod, and they were also very aware
(12:09):
of the danger presented by Dion's abusiveboyfriend, Anthony Ray. Despite this,
on Saturday April twenty fifth, twentyfifteen, when police began to receive reports
of domestic of a domestic disturbance,occurring in room one fifty five. They
did not take appropriate action and leftDion in an extremely vulnerable situation. According
(12:31):
to the police report, a neighborstaying in room one fifty six had called
the police at nine oh seven inthe morning to report that they heard yelling,
banging, and screaming coming from theroom next door. When officers Luke
Martin and Franci Martinez arrived at themotel, they knocked on room one fifty
five. They were greeted by ashort, heavy set Native American male who
(12:52):
would later turn out to be MiltonGarnanies, Anthony Ray's brother in law.
The police. This report goes onto say that Milton insisted everything was okay,
and the police officer observed two femaleswithin the room who were talking and
laughing. Milton also indicated that AnthonyRay was in the shower singing. The
officer noted a pack of beer andan intoxicating odor of liquor coming from the
(13:16):
room. Officer Martinez told the groupto keep it down and was reassured by
Milton that they would. Before thetwo officers left. Another report came in
approximately four and a half hours later, at one forty one pm, another
disturbance from room one fifty five.This time the neighbor reported that Anthony Ray
(13:37):
was yelling, cussing, and threateningto fight him. Officer Martinez returned to
the Colonial Hotel and this time statesthat he met with Anthony Ray directly.
He again notes the overwhelming smell ofliquor coming from Anthony and asked him to
explain what was going on. Anthonytold the officer he was angry because the
neighbor kept calling the police to complainand described an argument between them where Anthony
(14:01):
accused the neighbor of probably being achild molester that was in quotes. After
confirming with the motel staff that Anthonywas registered to the room, Officer Martinez
returned to Anthony Ray and received anapology from him. Anthony told the officer
that he would apologize to the neighborand that he would be quiet, and
with that, the officers left.There's no mention within the police report of
(14:26):
Dion's well being during this visit.However, another nine to one one call
was placed at approximately six pm thevery same day. This time, paramedics
were requested by Anthony Ray. Heclaimed to have quote discovered Dion Baguay Thomas,
unresponsive in their motel room. Whileon the phone with nine one one,
(14:46):
Anthony Ray said that he believed thatDion had fell and hit her head.
Upon arrival to the scene, theEMTs Josh Bond and Kyle Leslie were
immediately suspicious of the two males present. Initial meets the year reports state that
Dion was bleeding from the head andunconscious, and both EMTs reported that it
looked as though somebody had attempted toput clothes on Dion, as her underwear
(15:09):
was not on correctly. There werealso signs that someone had attempted to clean
her up. Dion was rushed tothe Gallop Indian Medical Hospital and police were
called to the hospital due to thesuspicion that Dion had been sexually assaulted.
Officer Francy Martinez arrived at the hospitalat around eight pm and recognized the males
(15:31):
as those he had encountered in theColonial hotel earlier that day, Anthony Ray
and Milton Garnanes. Officer Martinez thenspoke to Anthony to obtain his version of
events. Anthony claimed that he andMilton had left the motel at around five
thirty pm, to go to theFire Rock Casino to cash in a winning
voucher worth around forty dollars so thatthey could pay their rent. He stated
(15:56):
that Dion remained in the motel duringthis time, and when they returned around
ten minutes later, the pair wereunable to get into their motel room.
Anthony claims that he knocked repeatedly,but Dion didn't answer, so he asked
the maid for assistance to let themback into the room. After gaining entry,
the police report states that Anthony wentto the restroom while Milton was doing
(16:17):
his quote thing in the room.He claimed that after he came out of
the restroom, he went to wakeup Dion, who appeared to be asleep.
It was then that he noticed Dionwas bleeding from her head and blood
was visible on her hand. Heand Milton then began looking for a blood
trail, but were unable to locateone, and after failing to wake up
Dion or gain any response from her, they decided to call nine one one.
(16:44):
When questioned further, Anthony stated thatthe pair had been drinking for two
weeks straight. When he and Miltonhad left her in the motel room,
Dion was intoxicated and watching TV.He believed that Dion may have hit her
head on the bedpost and fallen tothe floor, and that the blood on
her hand may have been the resultof her holding her hand to her head
Following the initial injury. However,police began to question his version of events,
(17:08):
and given the circumstances earlier that day, they immediately suspected foul play occurred.
Doctors informed Detective Tanisha Wilson that Dionwas noted as having a subdural hematoma
as well as a cut on herforehead, and she showed signs of injury
which indicated a sexual assault. Atapproximately nine pm, medical staff determined that
(17:29):
Dion's injuries were too severe to betreated at the Gallop Indian Medical Center,
and Dion was flown to the TraumaCenter at the University of New Mexico Hospital
in Albuquerque. Shortly after, Dion'sfamily were notified. Christine says that Dion
was covered in tubes, unconscious,and had visible bruising all over her body.
Sadly, the family were told thatDion was unlikely to survive due to
(17:52):
her severe brain injury, and atnine twenty one am the next morning,
Dion was pronounced dead by medical staff. Her official cause of death was listed
as blunt force trauma to the head. Dion was only forty years old.
The investigation into Dion's murder began immediately. An officer secured the motel room and
began to speak to the occupants ofthe neighboring rooms to find out more information
(18:17):
about what occurred. It was thesewitnesses who provided a more harrowing view of
events that painted an entirely different picturefrom what Anthony Ray had initially claimed in
the hospital. The first people thepolice spoke to that day were the motel
owner and his son, Kevin Kumar. Earlier that day, Kevin had witnessed
(18:37):
Anthony Ray angrily leaving his motel room, shouting fuck you as he angrily slammed
the door to the room behind him. Mister Kumar asked Anthony to keep it
down, to which Anthony replied,who the fuck are you? This was
the first time you've heard me beingallowed to day. Mister Kumar decided not
to engage with Anthony and walked away, un observed Anthony walking up to the
(19:02):
passenger side of his truck. Secondwitness, Cheryl Wilson, was walking by
the motel at around three pm whenshe heard a male yelling at a female,
but could not see which male itwas. Cheryl was then approached by
a female named Shannon, who askedCheryl if she was aware that Anthony Ray
had a girlfriend. Cheryl replied thatshe didn't know. Shannon then told her
(19:23):
that she had observed the female Anthony'sgirlfriend bleeding from the head. Cheryl responded
that she didn't know either Dion orAnthony and carried on past the motel.
Police then spoke to Charles Gonzalez,who was occupying room one fifty four next
door to Dion and Anthony. Heclaimed that at two pm he heard Anthony
(19:44):
Ray and a female arguing, andquoted the female as saying, you disrespect
me, you had sex with her, before the female left the motel room
in a hurry. It is notclear whether this female was Dion or the
other unknown female observed by officers earlierthat morning. Finally, police spoke to
Daniel Skeene, who observed Milton Garnanezget into the White Man outside of the
(20:04):
motel after officers had left for thesecond time that day. When he returned,
Milton was unable to get back intothe motel room and waited in the
ban for around forty five minutes forAnthony Ray to return. Daniel noted that
Anthony was also unable to gain accessto the room at this time. These
witness statements provide a clear picture ofthat day, involving Anthony Ray's violent mood,
(20:29):
his physical and verbal abuse to Dion, an observation of her bleeding from
the head hours before the ambulance wascalled, and clear discrepancies in the timeline
of when Milton and Anthony were presentin the room with Dion. Despite this,
Anthony Ray denies an argument took placebetween him and Dion and claims that
there was no physical altercation between them. His statement that Dion was drunk would
(20:53):
turn out to be false, asher family later received a copy of the
toxicology report that you did these claims. The officers finished taking witness statements at
around ten pm on the evening ofApril twenty fifth, before locating and towing
Milton Garnanis's vehicle back to the GallupPolice Department where further analysis could be conducted
(21:14):
by investigators. On May one,twenty fifteen, Gallup Police Captain Rick White
made a statement to the Gallup's son, stating, quote, we are actively
investigating this as a homicide end quote. This is also what the investigating officers
led the Bigat family to believe.Christine said that in the initial days of
the investigation, they were happy theywere being taken seriously, and they worked
(21:38):
with police and supported everything that theywere doing as they believed they were investigating
the circumstances of Dion's death. Shesays, the family went to the police
station, met with a district attorney, and worked alongside investigators to be as
cooperative as possible. Eventually, theywere told to let the police do their
jobs, as they quote already knewit was Anthony Ray. They were aware
(22:00):
that he was abusive to Dion,and his long history of felony charges told
them everything they needed to know aboutAnthony's character. Eventually, though, the
Bigay family began to grow frustrated withthe lack of communication from detectives working Dion's
case, and they would only receiveupdates when they persisted in asking for them.
(22:21):
Like many families of murdered Indigenous women, they began their own investigation.
They compiled as much information as possibleto support their case. Christine said that
the family returned to making repeated visitsto the police station and calling for updates.
Her mother, Debbie, would documentall attempts of communication on their part,
which often were ignored by police,and despite claiming to know exactly what
(22:42):
happened and reassuring the family that AnthonyRay would be found responsible, the reality
of what happened was the complete opposite. The day that Dion was attacked,
Anthony Ray had charges filed against himfor the aggravated assault of a family member.
However, he only spent a fewhours hours and police custody that evening
before he was released back to thepublic. In addition, the motel room
(23:04):
that Dion and Anthony shared was cleanedand reopened to the public just a few
days after her murder. Christine saysthat Anthony moved to a new room a
few doors down from one fifty fiveand shamelessly took all of Dion's possessions with
him, which angered her family evenmore. In a meeting held by the
New Mexico m MIW Task Force,Christine documents how helpless they all felt during
(23:27):
this period. She said that intwenty eighteen, the family met with the
district attorney and were left feeling dismissed. Although Dia admitted that he had thought
the investigation wasn't as thorough as itcould have been, he gave them the
impression that he had no intention tofollow up on the case and did not
offer any kind of assistance to changethe outcome. Christine explained that, similarly
(23:48):
to the information discussed earlier, Dion'smurder continues to be considered quote unclassified until
official charges are filed, and becauseof this, Dion is not included in
the statistics of m MIW cases inNew Mexico. Christine is quoted as saying,
at this point in time, herofficial ruling of death is undetermined,
and we cannot as a family doanything to change that. We've done everything,
(24:11):
we made calls, we've gone inperson. It will not be classified
as a homicide because we have sevenyears of a statute of limitations to press
charges against her boyfriend, and ifnothing happens from outside political public pressure,
we know that charges will not go. We can go and sit at the
district Attorney's office. We can makephone calls, we can go in person,
(24:32):
we can demand justice. We canbe as polished, polite, respectful,
educated as we want to be inall of this, and it will
not move the system that has allowedfor this to go on for so long.
The precedent has been set in gallopedNew Mexico. If you want to
get away with murder, do itthere and make sure that it's a Native
woman because they won't come looking forwho did it. This I know,
(24:57):
I've seen it. It's heartbreaking andunfortunately it is the reality that many families
of the missing and murdered Indigenous peopleexperience. It is so common. Christine's
experience battling with the justice system hasleft her feeling totally helpless when fighting for
(25:21):
Dion. These feelings are also sharedby her family. The Task Force meeting
held in Albuquerque in twenty nineteen wasan opportunity for the relatives and communities of
m MIW to come together to discusstheir shared experiences of police and competence and
failure to prosecute when it came toinvestigating cases of their loved ones. Dion's
aunt Charlotte described the first few monthsfollowing Dion's death as foggy. The family
(25:47):
didn't know what to do and continueto hope that they would receive a call
from police to say that an arresthad been made, but the call never
came. Charlotte explained that one thingthat she wished she had been offered following
Dion's death with counseling. She struggledto come to terms of what had happened
while also consoling other members of herfamily who were also struggling with grief.
(26:11):
She states that as a Native Americanmother, she finds it hard to reach
out for help because of the stigmaassociated with receiving counseling or support from social
workers. She said this makes herfeel as though she is weak or that
something is wrong with her. However, having good protocols in place allowing people
to access support would have really helpedduring those initial months following Dion's death.
(26:33):
Following this meeting, the Missing andMurdered Indigenous Women and Relatives Report was published
in twenty twenty, highlighting Dion's case. The report outlined several recommendations to tackle
the ongoing crisis of m MIIW casesin New Mexico. This includes the importance
of data involving missing and murdered Indigenouswomen being recorded and documented accurately, the
(26:55):
need for support packages to be offeredto grieving families, providing additional resources to
the tribal justice system to enable successfulprosecutions, preventative methods such as educational packages
such as educational programs designed to promotesafety within indigenous communities, Law enforcement recommendations
(27:15):
such as establishing a permanent mmiw taskforce, including a cold case team for
cases exactly like Dion's, and finally, the development of community resources available to
those in tribal communities. In conclusion, they emphasize the work carried out to
create the report is an ongoing workin progress, and they add quote,
(27:36):
we learn that families and survivors mustbe centered and must continue to guide the
work moving forward as knowledgeable resources onall areas of MMIWR. The willingness and
participation of these brave voices guided thework of this task force. Unfortunately,
the governor disbanded this task force andno longer. Throughout the initial meeting and
(28:02):
the final report with the m MIIWTask Force, Dion's sister, Christine spoke
of the emotional effects that the lossof Dion has brought to her entire family.
Dion's four daughters were devastated by theloss of their mother, and their
lives were impacted heavily as a result. The cruel way that Dion was taken
and the way they were treated bylaw enforcement added to their feelings of frustration
(28:23):
and despair. After learning that AnthonyRay had been released just hours after his
arrest while Dion was being flown toYou and MH for an emergency surgery,
these feelings continued to worsen and familybegan to scramble for answers. Christine admitted
that her experience of being ignored bythe police and several other organizations that she
(28:45):
hoped would help led her to completelack of faith in the justice system.
Charlotte, Dion's aunt, says thatshe cried daily for Dion's children, who
were visibly shocked, angry, andconfused by the loss of their mother,
and she explained that they continue tohave these feelings despite the many years that
have passed. In May twenty twentytwo, hundreds of people gathered in the
(29:08):
Santa Fe Plaza to mark the finalday of the twenty twenty two National Walk
of Action of MMIWR. The eventwas held by the Three Sisters Collective,
an organization established in twenty seventeen,which seeks to create safe spaces for Indigenous
people across the state. On theirwebsite, the Three Sisters Collective right that
(29:30):
they have hosted several events to bringawareness to the MMIW crisis. They also
offer education, self defense classes,and more. During the vigil, the
co founder of the organization, ChristinaCastro, read aloud the names of the
many missing and murdered women within thecommunity. This portion of the vigil took
(29:52):
around ten minutes to complete and demonstratedthe vast number of victims listed, as
well as the devastation left behind.At the vigil, Christina Castro's quota das
saying, we deserve to be human, We deserve to live with integrity as
Indigenous women and matriarchs and two spiritedrelatives. So speak loud, Speak those
(30:14):
names into the universe and keep thememory of our loved ones alive. Dion's
Sister hopes to create change for familieslike hers and many others who may not
have the resources to fight publicly.She uses her experience to bring attention to
the many disparities that the loved onesof the m MIIW face and the impact
of her words within the Task Forcereport demonstrate the importance of victim participation when
(30:37):
demanding change and justice. Christine runsa Facebook page called Justice for Dion Thomas,
where she shares updates on Dion's case. She talks about her work with
the Task Force and other online eventsintended to spread awareness about the MMIWR crisis.
If you have any information or tipsabout Dion's case, please contact at
(31:00):
either the Facebook page or the GallupPolice at five oh five eight six three
nine three six five or five ohfive seven two two two two eight one.
Thanks for listening, and stay safeNew Mexico.
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