Guadalupe Lopez no longer head of Minnesota's Missing and Murdered Indigenous Relatives office, DPS says
The leader of Minnesota's Missing and Murdered Indigenous Relatives office is no longer in that role.
The announcement came just one day after Guadalupe Lopez spoke at an MMIR remembrance event.
On Wednesday, Department of Public Safety Commissioner Bob Jacobson shared this statement on the matter:
While we cannot comment on reasons for any employment separation, we can confirm that today was Guadalupe Lopez's last day of employment with the Department of Public Safety. The office continues to serve the community. In the interim, Office of Justice Programs Executive Director Kim Babine will lead the MMIR Office with support from Department of Public Safety Tribal Relations Director Juliet Rudie, a former MMIR Office director.
Minnesota created the office in 2021, the first of its kind in the U.S. dedicated to preventing the targeting of Indigenous women, children and two-spirited people.
This story will be updated.