PIERRE, S.D. (KELO) — In addition to the Office of Liaison for Missing and Murdered Indigenous Persons, the Attorney General will also have a Missing and Murdered Indigenous Persons Advisory Council.

Thursday Attorney General Mark Vargo announced that the advisory council would advise the Attorney General on goals, protocols and parameters of the newly-filled MMIP office. Vargo will be the committee co-chair after he leaves his role of Attorney General and returns to the Pennington County State’s Attorney’s Office.

“The issues surrounding Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women demand attention,” said Tatewin Means, the former Oglala Sioux Tribe’s Attorney General and co-chair of the MMIP Advisory Council. “I look forward to working with MMIP Coordinator Allison Morrisette, the Council and the Attorney General in making the MMIP Coordinator efforts successful.”

Attorney General-elect Marty Jackley will be sworn into office this month and said the office and advisory council will “do important work in this state.”

“This is an opportunity to help those looking for answers to the fate of their family members and loved ones,” Jacklely said.

A spokesperson for Vargo declined to release the names of the advisory council. Stewart Huntington said the council “consists of MMIW advocates, prosecutors and law enforcement representatives from the BIA, Tribal and state agencies as well as members of the state Legislature.”

Said Huntington, “The group has not yet met and the attorney general wishes to give it time to confer and begin the process of reaching consensus on goals and messaging before an announcement of the full membership.”