FORT WORTH, Texas — The air filled with sage smoke and prayer.

For the family and friends of Sara Martinez , this ritual is sacred, a cleansing of the air before another search begins.

“This is a sacred moment,” one man prayed softly in Navajo as dozens bowed their heads. They gathered in an Arlington park, not only to look for Sara, but to bring attention to a much larger crisis impacting Native communities across the country.

Sara has been missing since Dec. 28, 2024. Her mother, Samantha Perez, said the last time she saw her daughter was the night before she vanished.

“That night I never thought it would be the last time I’d see her,” Perez said. “We looked everywhere. She wasn’t in the house. She wasn’t outside.”

When Perez went to check Sara’s room the next morning, her daug

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