Minnesota’s New ‘Missing and Murdered’ Billboards Raise Awareness

ST. PAUL, Minn. (Minnesota Now) — Minnesota is finding a powerful new way to make sure Indigenous relatives lost to violence are not forgotten. And it starts with something simple but deeply human: saying their names.

The Minnesota Department of Public Safety announced a new statewide effort this week that puts real faces and real stories on billboards across Minnesota to honor Missing and Murdered Indigenous Relatives, often referred to as MMIR.

For Teddi Wind, this isn’t just a campaign. It’s personal.

Wind’s daughter, Nevaeh Kingbird, has been missing for more than four years. Nevaeh was just 15 years old when she disappeared on October 22, 2021. Now, Wind gets to see her daughter’s smile again, this time on a billboard she passes on her way to work.

“That face will never stop bringing joy to my heart,” Wind said. “It pushes me to find answers and bring you home. I’ll never stop searching and I know there are others with me in this fight.”

READ MORE: Minnesota Mother Speaks Out 12 Years After Tragic Loss

Wind, who also serves as co-chair of the MMIR Office’s advisory council, wants Minnesotans to know who Nevaeh is beyond the headlines. “She’s number 12 on her volleyball team. She loves her language. She speaks Ojibwe fluently,” MN DPS shared in a Safety Matters blog on their website.

Turning billboards into living memorials

The DPS says Nevaeh’s image is part of the first wave of MMIR billboards placed in communities most impacted by this ongoing crisis. These displays are doing more than raising awareness. They also highlight a reward of up to $10,000 for tips related to active cases. It’s also a great way to show the families that their loved ones have not been forgotten.

The project is funded through donations to the Gaagige-Mikwendaagoziwag Reward Fund. In Ojibwe, the name means “they will be remembered forever.”

“For too long, Indigenous lives were invisible and our deaths were met with silence. But we were never and will never be silent,” Guadalupe Lopez, director of the MMIR Office, said. “Every name is a loss and deserves to be spoken aloud and honored.”

More than statistics

Along with the billboards, the MMIR Office has started collecting names of Indigenous relatives in Minnesota who are missing or have been murdered. DPS says the goal isn’t just to track numbers, but to build a living memorial showing just how real and big this problem is.

“Writing and speaking these names aloud affirms that these are lives that still matter. They are not silent statistics,” Lopez said.

Two of the first names displayed along Interstate 35 in Minneapolis include Kateri Mishow and Frank Ortley. DPS says thousands of drivers pass those billboards every day.

Kateri’s mother, Kathy Mishow, says seeing her daughter’s face publicly honored has meant everything.

Another memorial banner honoring Mato Dow has also been installed at the entrance of the Lower Sioux Indian Reservation.

How are these new billboards funded?

DPS says Clear Channel Outdoor is donating the billboard space itself. Printing costs are covered by the MMIR reward fund, which is supported largely through Minnesota’s specialty MMIR license plates.

When drivers purchase one of these plates, they donate at least $25 each year to the fund. As of November 2025, more than 5,200 MMIR license plates were active across the state.

That support is already making an impact, and DPS says plans are underway to expand the billboard program to include all active MMIR cases.

SEE ALSO: Minnesota Mom Warns Others After Tragic Loss of Two Sons

How you can help

If you have a loved one who should be included in Minnesota’s MMIR memorial, the state is asking families to submit their information through an online form.

You can also support the program by purchasing an MMIR specialty license plate, which directly funds awareness efforts and rewards tied to active investigations.