APPLETON (NBC 26) — Together, their names form a group of indigenous women missing or killed.
On their own, their names now carry heartbreak.
"My niece's mom," Lee Corn said. "When she went missing I was actually babysitting for my niece, and she never came back."
A year later, Corn's relative was found killed. It was 1986, but the pain still lives today.
"She was missing and nobody knew anything," Corn said.
Her story is not unique. Friday, dozens of people gathered to raise awareness for the many other indigenous women who are missing or who have been killed.
"It's kind of pushed under the rug," Corn said.
They're calling for change and asking the state to form a task force to investigate.
"We know we have a problem but we don't know the scope of it," local professor Renee Gralewicz said. "It makes no sense to ask for legislation to fix a problem that we can't define."
Their hope is it can eventually keep others safe, even if it won't bring loved ones back.
"There's never been no justice for her," Corn said. "I have daughters, I have nieces who I'd never want that to happen to."
