Latest / Murder Files Unsealed / The Suspicious Disappearance of Kit Mora
Transcript
- 0:00As Amethyst mccart's high school graduation neared, the East Valley senior diligently ticked off
- 0:05her responsibilities, paperwork completed, cap and gown purchased, schedules, shared with
- 0:11family and friends. During this time, Amethist couldn't help but think of her
- 0:16friend Esmeralda Kit Mora. The two had first met on the very first day
- 0:23of kindergarten at Terrace Heights Elementary School. Despite Amothist moving away for a period
- 0:29of time, upon her return in second grade, she and Kit picked up
- 0:33right where they had left off, sharing birthdays just two days apart. The
- 0:39two friends bonded over their mutual love for music and art. Kit's passion for
- 0:44drawing horses, dragons, and fantastical creatures further solidified their friendship. Me and
- 0:51Kit were friends through everything, Amethyst said. So when she realized late in
- 0:55the fall twenty twenty one that she hadn't heard from Kit, not even a
- 1:00quick text, she was worried. Kit, a non binary Indigenous individual,
- 1:06has been missing since April fifteenth, twenty twenty two, as per the latest
- 1:11active Cases of Missing Indigenous women and People by the Washington State Patrol. Kit,
- 1:17who prefers the pronoun. They spent most of their life in the Yakima
- 1:21area, growing up with the Groo family and attending East Valley schools before heading
- 1:26to Omac in June twenty twenty one to spend time with relatives. Kit transitioned
- 1:34to attending Omac High School that fall, with communication to Amethyst becoming less frequent
- 1:38before ceasing entirely. Despite the official disappearance date being April twenty twenty two,
- 1:46Kit's friends and family in the Yakima Valley have not had any contact with Kit
- 1:51since November twenty twenty one. The disappearance of Kit is being treated as suspicious
- 1:57by the Omak Police Department, who are collaborate with the Colville Tribal Police Department
- 2:01and the FBI in the investigation. A reward of ten thousand dollars is being
- 2:07offered for any information that could lead to finding those responsible for Kit's disappearance,
- 2:14locating Kit's body, or ensuring Kit's safe return. Although Kit had settled into
- 2:20their role as a student at Omak High and was set to become a teacher's
- 2:23assistant in an art class, Kit was unenrolled in January twenty twenty two due
- 2:30to school absences, as reported by KITT's family. However, they are adamant
- 2:37that Kit would not have willingly stopped attending school, especially given their position as
- 2:42a teacher's assistant in a subject they loved. Amethyst adorned her cap with a
- 2:49cheerful photo of Kit encircled by blossoms, in the hopes that Kit would have
- 2:53also graduated alongside her. You should be here with us, walking at graduates,
- 3:00alongside us, being excited over the stupid cliche moments and sayings, and
- 3:05knowing everything you worked so hard towards is finally paying off, she posted on
- 3:09Facebook the day before graduation with a photo of her cap. But you will
- 3:15never get that moment. You will never get to wear your cap and gown,
- 3:19or hear your name called and your family scream in pride for you.
- 3:23This was all taken from you. This, along with every other milestone that
- 3:27was bound for your future. Kit helped Amethyst get to that point, and
- 3:32she wanted to honor that they should graduate in some way. She said.
- 3:38Many risk factors Kit, as an Indigenous individual who was assigned female at birth,
- 3:44faces an elevated level of risk. The rates of violent crime among Indigenous
- 3:49women and men surpass the national average, and Native women and girls are disproportionately
- 3:54affected by sexual and gender based violence, including intimate partner violence, as stated
- 4:00by the US Department of Justice. Furthermore, Kit, being a non binary
- 4:06person and a member of the LGBTQ plus community is also at a heightened risk.
- 4:13The Department of Justice highlights that LGBTQ and two spirit individuals within tribal communities
- 4:18are frequently targeted for acts of violence. Two spirit individuals traditionally encompassed male,
- 4:26female, and occasionally intersects individuals who engaged in activities associated with both genders,
- 4:33possessing unique characteristics related to their two spirit identity, according to the Indian Health
- 4:40Service. Additionally, as a juvenile, KIT would face an increased risk of
- 4:46falling victim to human trafficking and other potentially life threatening predators who specifically target teenagers
- 4:55and children. In recent years, the long standing international crome Isis of missing
- 5:00and murdered Indigenous women has gained significant attention. Consequently, families and advocates have
- 5:08raised their voices not only for missing and murdered Indigenous men, but also for
- 5:13LGBTQ and two spirit individuals who can become victims of homophobia and transphobia. Charlotte
- 5:20grew Kit's sibling, plays a key role as an administrator on the Finding Kit
- 5:27Facebook page and has shown unwavering support. Similar to Amethyst, Charlotte has been
- 5:33reflecting on the East Valley High graduation, imagining Kit walking alongside their friends and
- 5:41enjoying the festivities with their Yakima Valley loved ones. June is recognized as Pride
- 5:47Month. Kit identifies as non binary and as Charlotte