Tiffany Reid
On the morning of May 17, 2004, Tiffany Reid left her home on the Navajo reservation in Ship Rock, NM, to walk a mile to high school. She was never seen again. That night when she didn’t return home, her mom Dedra became worried. The next morning she called Tiffany’s school and discovered Tiffany never made it to school the previous day. Dedra called the police, who told her to wait to file a missing persons report. According to Tiffany’s sister Dejandra, there was little urgency on the part of law enforcement. Two weeks after her disappearance, authorities located her purse, some clothing, and her library card scattered along a dirt road in a nearby town. Those are the only clues to Tiffany’s whereabouts and what happened to her.
There are 574 federally recognized Indian Nations in the US, which makes reporting a crime challenging. Victims bounce between local, state, and tribal authorities, and there is poor communication between each organization.
Tiffany’s mom Dedra was diagnosed with breast cancer and eventually died in 2019, still looking for her daughter. Her sister Dejandra has now taken up the mission of finding Tiffany.
Tiffany is 5’3” with black hair and brown eyes, and has a scar under her right eye and on one of her arms. The second photo here is an age progression created by the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children to more closely resemble what she may look like now. Her sister describes her as a quiet person who loved slam poetry, and had dreams of becoming a veterinarian. Those with information about Tiffany’s disappearance or whereabouts are asked to contact the Navajo division of public safety at 928-871-6390.