Earlier this month, a federal audit published by the Interior Department's Office of the Inspector General found that the Bureau of Indian Affairs' Missing and Murdered Unit is understaffed and its few special agents are spread thin — handling "unmanageable workloads" throughout Indian Country.
Phoenix ranks among the top 10 of U.S. cities with the most unsolved missing persons cases — sixth overall behind only Houston, Los Angeles, Dallas, San Francisco and Memphis.
According to the National Missing and Unidentified Missing Persons System — better known as NamUs, which is run by the National Institute of Justice underneath the U.S. Department of Justice — Phoenix is home to 221 unsolved cases alone.
Violet Rose is one of them.
The 31-year-old mother was reportedly last seen in Phoenix near the corner of 32nd Street and East McDowell Road in 2021, the same year the BIA Missing and Murdered Unit was formed.
Originally from the neighboring Gila River Indian Community, Violet later on enrolled with the Fort Yuma Quechan Indian Tribe, which straddles the border of Arizona and California — further complicating efforts to find her.
She spent much of her 20s behind bars at the all-female Perryville prison in Goodyear after being convicted on aggravated assault and drug solicitation charges in Maricopa County.
"The last time she got out, we picked her up over there in Perryville. We had a good day, we ate and all that," said Violet's mother, 60-year-old Arlene Vavages from the Gila River Indian Community. "Then we went to Walmart. She got clothes, because she didn't have no clothes. And then we went home."
That final stay at home following her summer 2021 release was short-lived.
"It was hard for her on the reservation to do anything. Because the city life, there's buses, you know, more transportation to take," Arlene explained. "So she said she was going to go, and I was kinda saddened by that. But I knew she had to do what she had to do and meet with her [parole officer]."
Coincidentally, Arlene and Violet would bump into each other on a bus ride in Mesa weeks before her daughter disappeared. To this day, Arlene thinks warmly about the unexpected encounter, calling it a "Kodak moment."
"And these ladies, three of them, got off the light rail, then they came running to get on the bus because they didn't want to miss it. Three ladies got on, young girls. They're pretty, and I thought, 'OK, they're probably from Salt River,'" said Arlene. "And I turned away because I didn't want them to think, 'Oh god, that lady sure stares a lot.' Two sat up front, and the other one sat just below where you step up in the bus."
"And she looked at me, and she said, 'Mom,' and I said, 'Violet.'"
They sat together, chitchatted, and hugged.
Arlene was heading to grab groceries in Chandler, while Violet was working at Goodwill and on her way to a nearby hotel. "To me, when I heard Motel 6, I'm like, 'Oh no, that's a red flag. I know what she's gonna do there. She's probably gonna go get high, go do drugs.' What is she doing out here when she should be working?"
"And that's the last time I seen her."
This August marked five years since Violet vanished.
According to the Arizona Department of Corrections, Rehabilitation and Reentry, she absconded. Meaning, Violet vacated her assigned housing and stopped communicating with her parole officer.
To this day, Violet is technically considered a fugitive in the eyes of the state.
The Department of Corrections did not answer KJZZ's questions surrounding the circumstances of her disappearance and current legal status. In the years-long effort to locate her, photos posted online, including some of her wearing an orange jumpsuit in prison, detail Violet's identifying tattoos.
One shows the state abbreviation "AZ" next to her right eye.
Another highlights the 480 area code on her right hand, while her left forearm features the name of her tribe: Quechan. Arlene remembers her daughter very differently from the person depicted in those mugshots.
"One time we went out on 19th Avenue. There's this Ross. She bought some tennis shoes, and then she took [her old shoes] off. She put on her new shoes, and I guess that's what they do," she recalled. "They leave their shoes out there for the next homeless person who may need those shoes."
"[Violet] was caring and she could help ya out if she could."
Her case is among close to 80 listed by the BIA Missing and Murdered Unit. Aaron Summers, one of three special agents based in Phoenix, is overseeing the case — along with a dozen more across Arizona.
Arlene recalled last speaking with Summers years ago: "And he said he couldn't locate her. And it's just like, that's it. Just recently I tried to call him, and I didn't get no response, no callback — nothing."
And when KJZZ contacted Summers, he replied in an email that he doesn't discuss open cases. As for the BIA, a statement sent on behalf of Assistant Secretary for Indian Affairs William "Billy" Kirkland reads, in part, that the agency is taking the federal audit findings "very seriously."
He blames the Biden administration for deficiencies cited in the audit, which also found a backlog of almost 400 pending referrals as of late 2024. The BIA notes it has already adopted many audit recommendations to ensure that the Missing and Murdered Unit is "equipped to deliver meaningful results."
Meanwhile, worried mothers like Arlene can only wait and hope for answers.
"Violet Rose, we love you so much. We want you to come home," Arlene pleaded as she wept. "You have grandkids, you have your kids. We're still a big family, we really need you home."
The BIA MMU is offering a reward of up to $3,000 for any leads involving the case of Violet Rose; those with information may call 1-833-560-2065 or text BIAMMU with a tip to 847411.
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