Introduction

Task Force on Missing and Murdered Chicago Women Act

The Task Force on Missing and Murdered Chicago Women Act (the Act), aimed at addressing the growing concern of violence against women in Chicago, was signed into law on June 10, 2022. The legislation created a task force consisting of subject matter experts knowledgeable about crime victims’ rights and related protections (20 ILCS 4119/10-b). State Representative Kambium Buckner introduced the House bill creating the task force in 2021 and State Senator Mattie Hunter served as its chief sponsor in the Illinois Senate. The legislators outlined several key reasons for establishing a task force focused on missing and murdered women in Chicago. They highlighted the urgent need to address violence against Chicago women and girls through more effective policy solutions, especially the disproportionate violence faced by Black women and girls. In addition, through the task force’s work, State Representative Buckner and State Senator Hunter sought to examine law enforcement’s response to reports of missing and murdered women and girls due to concerns Illinois residents expressed about missing persons investigations. Specifically, residents pointed to a lack of transparency in investigations, issues with case follow-ups and leads, including use of DNA testing, and unsupportive interactions with law enforcement. The Act went into effect on January 1, 2023 (20 ILCS 4119/10-b) and the task force was formed and first met on May 23, 2023.

Several data sources shed light on the prevalence of violence against women and girls and of missing persons in Chicago. According to the Chicago Police Department, there were more reports of criminal sexual assault against females than males in Chicago in 2022 and 2023; and Black females in those same years, had disproportionately higher rates of criminal sexual assault.[1] In addition to sexual assault, Black females in Chicago also face a disproportionate risk of homicide. In 2023, while females in Chicago accounted for 14.1% of homicide victims, Black females comprised 10.1% of homicide victims, a total of 64 Black females.[2]

Data sources show a similar disproportionality for missing persons in Chicago. As of October 8, 2024, the National Missing and Unidentified Persons System (NamUs), a national database containing information on missing, unidentified, and unclaimed persons, had 135 missing persons cases with the individual’s last known location listed as Chicago.[3] Of those 135 cases, 26.7% (36) were Black females. Yet in recent population estimates, only 15.4% of Chicago residents are Black females.[4]

Research points to likely structural and social factors contributing to violence against women and girls. These include high rates of poverty, unemployment, crime, cultural beliefs that reinforce gender inequality, and childhood experiences with victimization.[5] Fewer studies directly inform why the loved ones of missing and murdered women and girls report poor experiences with law enforcement conducting homicide and missing persons investigations. However, studies have found that women of color, specifically Black and Latino women, have had inconsistent experiences with law enforcement, and that, consequently, they are more likely to have negative perceptions of law enforcement officers and agencies. These negative perceptions are often due to past traumatizing interactions with law enforcement,[6] including a lack of response to victimization by officers[7] and depictions of police brutality in the media.[8]

Task Force on Missing and Murdered Chicago Women

The Task Force on Missing and Murdered Chicago Women Act requires the group to a) elect a chair and vice-chair from its members; b) convene at least quarterly; c) issue its first report on or before December 31, 2024; and d) issue a report every subsequent year on or before December 31st (20 ILCS 4119/10-b). Each annual report will address one or more of the following five focus areas:

  • Systemic causes behind violence that Chicago women and girls experience, including patterns and underlying factors that explain why disproportionately high levels of violence occur against Chicago women and girls, including underlying historical, social, economic, institutional, and cultural factors that may contribute to the violence;
  • Appropriate methods for tracking and collecting data on violence against Chicago women and girls, including data on missing and murdered Chicago women and girls;
  • Policies and institutions such as policing, child welfare, medical examiner practices, and other governmental practices that impact violence against Chicago women and girls and the investigation and prosecution of crimes of gender-related violence against Chicago residents;
  • Measures necessary to address and reduce violence against Chicago women and girls; and
  • Measures to help victims, victims’ families, and victims’ communities prevent and heal from violence that occurs against Chicago women and girls (20 ILCS 4119/10-b).

The report must also include recommendations for policies and practices to reduce gender-based violence, increase safety, and support healing for victims and affected communities (20 ILCS 4119/10-b). This report serves as the Task Force on Missing and Murdered Chicago Women’s first annual report, which is due to the Illinois Governor and General Assembly by December 31, 2024.

Membership

The task force consists of 18 members (Table 1), each knowledgeable about crime victims’ rights and protections. Illinois State Senator Mattie Hunter served as task force chair and Illinois State Representative Kambium Buckner was vice-chair.

Table 1

Task Force on Missing and Murdered Chicago Women Membership List

MMWG table 1

Recommendations

Members of the Task Force on Missing and Murdered Chicago Women provided the following eight recommendations for improving policies and practices aimed at reducing gender-based violence, increasing safety, and promoting healing for victims and communities affected by violence against Chicago women and girls.

  1. Increase legislative support and funding for missing persons investigations.
  2. Establish a dedicated missing persons unit within the Chicago Police Department.
  3. For law enforcement agencies currently using paper forms for missing persons reports, transition to an electronic or digital format.
  4. Enforce existing reporting requirements to ensure missing persons data is entered into required systems within the mandated timeframes.
  5. Amend the Missing Persons Identification Act to clarify reporting requirements, including making National Missing and Unidentified Persons System and National Center for Missing and Exploited Children reporting both mandatory and timely.
  6. Develop standardized written procedures and protocols for missing persons case review and case follow-up and notify missing persons’ loved ones of these procedures and protocols.
  7. Establish statewide use of screening tools to identify cases of human trafficking.
  8. Allocate funding for gender-based violence services, particularly those focused on human trafficking, domestic violence, and sexual assault, to protect women and girls at risk of becoming homicide or missing persons victims and to support their healing from violence.

Conclusion

Since its formation in May 2023, the Task Force on Missing and Murdered Chicago Women has gained a deeper understanding of the disproportionate rates of missing and murdered women and girls through expert presentations and discussions. As a result, task force members made eight key recommendations focused on increasing resources for missing persons investigations and supporting families and victims, while improving law enforcement responses. This report satisfies the task force’s statutory obligation to submit an annual report to the Illinois Governor and General Assembly.

In 2025, the task force will continue to meet and further examine the five priority areas outlined in the Act. They will also develop additional recommendations aimed at increasing the safety of Chicago women and girls and supporting healing. Task force members emphasized the need to invite organizations from various disciplines to future meetings in order to fully understand the policies and practices guiding responses to missing and murdered women and girls. These organizations include INTERPOL, the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services, and victim service agencies, including those serving human trafficking victims. By maintaining a focus on missing and murdered women and girls, the task force aims to raise awareness and drive systemic change that will benefit victims, their families, and the broader community.

  1. Chicago Police Department. (2024). 2023 Chicago Police Department annual report .[Annual report]. ↩︎

  2. Chicago Police Department. (2024). 2023 Chicago Police Department annual report .[Annual report]. ↩︎

  3. National Missing and Unidentified Persons System. (n.d.) Missing Persons Search. https://www.namus.gov/MissingPersons/Search ↩︎

  4. U.S. Census Bureau, U.S. Department of Commerce. (2023). Sex by Age (Black or African American Alone). American Community Survey, ACS 1-Year Estimates Detailed Tables, Table B01001B. https://data.census.gov/table/ACSDT1Y2023.B01001B?t=BlackorAfricanAmerican&g=160XX00US1714000. ↩︎

  5. Centers for Disease Control. (n.d.). Risk and Protective Factors. https://www.cdc.gov/intimate-partner-violence/risk-factors/index.html; Jansson, P. M. (2017). An explorative integration of factors casing men’s violence against women. Journal of Psychology and Clinical Psychiatry, 8(2), 2-11. ↩︎

  6. Wilson, I., Antin, T. M. J., & Hunt, G. (2012). “Some are good, some are bad:” Perceptions of police from Black and Latina women living in the San Francisco Bay Area. Women & Criminal Justice, 31(5), 360-375. ↩︎

  7. Brunson, R. K., & Miller, J. (2006). Gender, race, and urban policing: The experience of African American youths. Gender & Society, 20(4), 531–552. ↩︎

  8. Wilson, I., Antin, T. M. J., & Hunt, G. (2012). “Some are good, some are bad:” Perceptions of police from Black and Latina women living in the San Francisco Bay Area. Women & Criminal Justice, 31(5), 360-375. ↩︎