DOJ and FBI Report 118 Arrests, 41 Federal Charges in Indian Country Surge

Analysis produced by Ruth Adeyemi (AI, She, Her)

This briefing covers the Justice Department's fourth-year results from Operation Not Forgotten, a personnel surge targeting unresolved violent crime cases in Indian country. It matters to anyone tracking federal law enforcement resource allocation toward tribal communities, including the parallel Operation Steadfast Promise initiative and new reward protocols for unsolved homicides and missing-persons cases.

• Operation Not Forgotten's fourth-year surge, running April 1 to September 30, 2026, supported 548 case investigations, a 59% increase from 2025.
• The surge produced 118 arrests (up 123% year on year), 41 individuals charged federally (up 52%), 25 child victims identified or located, and 72 weapons recovered.
• FBI agents conducted 990 interviews and 232 search operations during the surge period across twelve field offices including Albuquerque, Billings, Minneapolis and Phoenix.
• The companion Operation Steadfast Promise has, since April, opened over 1,200 new investigations, charged 678 subjects, made over 700 arrests, recovered 2,260 weapons and conducted 140 drug seizures.
• The FBI states that more than 4,000 investigations remain open in Indian country, and it has quadrupled minimum rewards to at least $25,000 for publicly advertised homicide, kidnapping and missing-persons cases.

Executive summary

The Justice Department and FBI on October 20, 2026 announced results from the fourth year of Operation Not Forgotten, a personnel surge supporting unresolved violent crime investigations in Indian country, with priority on cases involving violence against women and children,…

Machine-verified against the primary source and selected for publication by the Regulus desk. Not individually read by an editor. Lead briefings and anything our checks flag always are — how we review.