Pinon Man Arrested for Alleged Murder of Missing Navajo Woman and Acts of Domestic Violence

PHOENIX, Ariz. –Yesterday, Tre C. James, 30, of Pinon, Arizona, was arrested for first-degree murder and several acts of domestic violence. James had his initial appearance yesterday before United States Magistrate Judge Camille D. Bibles. A detention hearing is scheduled for Tuesday, August 9, 2022, in Flagstaff, Arizona.

Earlier this week, a federal grand jury returned an eight-count indictment against James. Counts 1 and 2 allege James shot and killed Jamie Yazzie, a Pinon woman who went missing in the summer of 2019, and whose remains were found on the Hopi Indian Reservation in November 2021. Ms. Yazzie was listed as a missing person by both federal and tribal law enforcement, and the circumstances of her disappearance were investigated jointly by the Navajo Nation Division of Public Safety Criminal Investigation Services, Navajo Nation Police Department, Bureau of Indian Affairs, Navajo County Sherriff’s Office, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation.

James was also indicted for several acts of domestic violence. Counts 3 through 8 allege that James committed acts of domestic violence against three victims – between 2018 and 2021 – including suffocation, strangling, kidnapping, and assault with a dangerous weapon.

The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Arizona is committed to addressing the persistent violence endured by Native American families and communities in the state of Arizona, including by working with Tribal nations to address the important issues of missing or murdered indigenous persons and acts of domestic violence. This office and the Department of Justice view this work as a priority for its law enforcement components.

An indictment is simply a method by which a person is charged with criminal activity and raises no inference of guilt. An individual is presumed innocent until evidence is presented to a jury that establishes guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.

The United States Attorney’s Office, District of Arizona, Phoenix, is handling the prosecution.

CASE NUMBER:           CR-22-08073-PHX-PCT-DLR
RELEASE NUMBER:    2022-131_James

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For more information on the U.S. Attorney’s Office, District of Arizona, visit http://www.justice.gov/usao/az/

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