Carine Werner Turned a System's Failure Into a Legislative Win for Indigenous Children

A new Arizona law aimed at strengthening protections for Indigenous children is now on the books, the direct result of an investigation into systemic failures exposed by the murder of a 14-year-old girl.

SB 1125 was signed into law following advocacy work by State Senator Carine Werner (R-AZ), who examined the government breakdowns surrounding the disappearance and death of Emily Pike, a San Carlos Apache teenager who went missing from a state-licensed Mesa group home in January 2025.

Her remains were found weeks later near Globe, Arizona.

Sen. Werner's investigation identified critical gaps in how the Arizona Department of Child Safety (DCS) communicates and coordinates with tribal governments, gaps that advocates say left warning signs unaddressed and children unprotected.

New Formal Establishments

The new law directly targets those failures.

Under SB 1125, DCS is required to annually establish formal memorandums of understanding with every tribal nation in Arizona that doesn't already have one. Therefore, the agreements carry real obligations.

DCS must share best practices, training materials, and operational standards with tribal governments, covering key areas including intake procedures, investigations, child placement, case management, and service coordination.

Each tribe that enters an agreement would also be assigned a dedicated DCS tribal liaison, a specific point of contact responsible for maintaining communication, providing technical assistance, and supporting collaboration on child welfare matters.

Additional Oversight

Perhaps most significantly, the law gives tribes direct oversight of group homes where their children are placed.

Tribal governments would have access to regulatory and licensing actions, corrective action plans, health and safety violations, and any enforcement measures taken against those facilities.

The bill passed with broad bipartisan support and is part of a broader child-safety reform package working through the Arizona Legislature.

Werner's role in pushing the legislation forward drew attention to what many describe as longstanding failures in protecting Indigenous children, a concern closely tied to the broader Missing and Murdered Indigenous People crisis that advocates have fought to bring into public focus.