Missing and Murdered: The Tragic Case of Jada Stevens

It was a cold January night in 2021 when 19-year-old Jada Stevens walked out of her cousin's house in Tulsa, Oklahoma after a family argument. She told her cousin she was going for a walk to cool off. Little did they know, it would be the last time her family would see Jada alive.

For four agonizing months, Jada's loved ones searched desperately, putting up missing posters, holding vigils, and making plea after plea to media and law enforcement to help find the young Northern Cherokee woman. But their hopes were shattered when Jada's body was discovered in May by a rancher in a remote wooded area outside of Tulsa. She had been brutally beaten, sexually assaulted, and murdered.

The shocking crime was made even more disturbing by the fact that Jada was yet another life lost in the decades-long epidemic of missing and murdered Indigenous women and girls across the United States and Canada. Native women face vastly higher rates of violence, sexual assault, and murder compared to other demographics, with murders happening at rates up to 10 times higher than the national average.

"My daughter's life mattered," said Sharon Stevens, Jada's grief-stricken mother, through sobs. "She didn't deserve to die such a cruel death. We demand justice for Jada, and drastic change to protect other Indigenous women and girls from this same nightmare."

Originally from the Northern Cherokee Nation's reservation lands in northeastern Oklahoma, Jada had moved to Tulsa after graduating high school in hopes of finding job opportunities and a fresh start. Her family described the young woman as happy, caring, and kind - someone who loved to bead intricate jewelry and dreamed of one day working with children.

When Jada first disappeared in January after the argument at her cousin's, local law enforcement was painfully slow to respond to her family's frantic pleas for help. Officers were frustrated by jurisdictional boundaries between city, state, federal, and tribal lands that caused confusion over whose responsibility the case fell under.

"We ran into brick walls over and over from the police and authorities," said Jada's aunt, Melissa Littlehawk. "They didn't take her disappearance seriously at all until it was tragically too late. More time was wasted being passed around between agencies rather than allocating full resources to finding my missing niece."

It wasn't until Jada's body was discovered months later that an investigation seemed to ramp up in earnest. But by then, the delays and mishandling had already cost the family a future with their loved one.

Jada's death was the match that lit a wildfire of activism across the state and Indian Country. Native rights advocates, joined by allies, organized marches, prayer vigils, and took to social media to share Jada's story while demanding action and reform from authorities.

"For too long, cases involving missing and murdered Indigenous women and girls have been disregarded, minimized, and failed by a racist, apathetic system," said Deborah Parker, an activist and citizen of the Cherokee Nation. "Jada's life was taken in such a cruel, inhumane way, but her spirit now lives on in this movement for justice and change. We will honor her memory by continuing to fight tirelessly to protect our sisters."

In the year since the horrific crime, legislative efforts have accelerated to try to resolve the jurisdictional quagmires between law enforcement agencies that allow cases to fall through the cracks. Supporters have pushed for Oklahoma to approve Jada's Act, which would require coordination between tribal, local, and state authorities when investigating missing persons cases for Native Americans.

"Having solid communication protocols and data sharing in place could be the difference between life and death," said state Representativeinson, who has advocated for the bill along with Jada's family. "No more letting victims be forgotten or ignored simply due to jurisdictional barriers."

Though an arrest was finally made months after Jada's body was found, her mother says the emotional wounds of losing her daughter in such a violent way will never fully heal.

"My world shattered the day I learned how Jada's life ended," Sharon Stevens said. "No mother should ever have to bury their child under these circumstances. If speaking out about this horror can prevent another family from feeling this anguish, then it gives purpose to my pain."

More than anything, Jada's family and Native advocates want her legacy to create real change and protect future generations from the disproportionate levels of violence targeted against Indigenous women and girls.

"Jada's bright smile and caring spirit could light up any room," Sharon wept. "While she's gone from this earth, we will ensure her memory burns bright and creates positive change for all our Native sisters across this land."