Dione Begay was born on March 28th, 1975. She was the eldest of six children and is described by her sister Christine as having a positive perspective on life and a witty sense of humor which is missed by her loved ones. Dione was beautiful, vibrant, outgoing, intelligent, and family-orientated. She was a mother of four daughters and had unique, close relationships with her entire family. Dione had several tribal connections via her parents, Debbie and Laffie Begay. Dione’s mother Debbie is part of the Dakotas ‘Yankton’ and ‘Arikara’ tribe, and her father, the ‘Navajo’ and ‘Dine’ tribe. As a Native American woman, Dione Begay is one of many Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women in New Mexico who is yet to receive justice, despite the brutality inflicted upon her and the obvious circumstances of the crime. Her family's pleas for help have also continued to be ignored. This is the story of Dione Begay Thomas.
Justice for Dion FB Pagehttps://www.facebook.com/JusticeforDioneThomas Sources: https://threesisterscollective.org/https://sourcenm.com/2022/05/06/vigil-for-the-missing-and-stolen-reclaims-santa-fe-plaza/ https://www.iad.state.nm.us/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/NM_MMIWR_Report_FINAL_WEB_v120920.pdf https://gallupsun.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=7618:mystery-at-colonial-motel&catid=175:public-safety-&Itemid=602 https://www.iad.state.nm.us/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/MMIW-Task-Force-110819-Transcript-from-first-meeting.pdf https://www.iad.state.nm.us/about-us/history/#:~:text=New%20Mexico's%20Twenty%2DThree%20Tribes,of%20the%20state's%20entire%20population https://www.iad.state.nm.us/policy-and-legislation/missing-murdered-indigenous-women-relatives/https://sourcenm.com/2022/05/05/justice-for-relatives/#:~:text=New%20Mexico%20has%20the%20highest,cases%20between%202014%20and%202019.
https://www.niwrc.org/resources/report/new-mexico-missing-and-murdered-indigenous-women-and-relatives-task-force-report https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2023/feb/03/murder-in-big-horn-showtime-docuseries-montana-missing-murdered-indigenous-women#:~:text=The%20roots%20of%20the%20MMIW,these%20federal%20policies%2C%20and%20as
