Loni Long reflects on her bond with her cousin Benita Long, who became a protective figure during her difficult childhood. After Benita went missing in March 2022 under concerning circumstances, her family desperately sought answers. The investigation into her disappearance has gone cold, emphasizing the larger issue of missing Indigenous women in the area. Benita's case is part of a broader crisis where many Yakama Nation members have also vanished. The article underscores the systemic challenges faced by families affected by such losses and the efforts to track missing individuals through databases like NamUs.
"I was so blown away by how outgoing she was," she recalled. Eventually, Loni moved in with Benita's family on the reservation of the Yakama Nation in Washington, where Benita became more than just a cousin. She became a protector and sister. "She showed me how to stick up for myself, kind of be strong," Loni said.
Loni never imagined there would come a time when Benita would not be in her life. But it has been almost three years since she last saw Benita.
As far as anyone knows, she was last seen on March 26, 2022, outside a motel in Toppenish, Wash., not far from the Yakama Nation reservation.
It's an area beset by the crisis of missing and murdered Indigenous women where dozens of other Yakama Nation members have disappeared, local activists and community members said.
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