The FBI arrested a suspect Tuesday in the abduction of an 11-year-old Navajo girl Ashlynne Mike who was found dead in Shiprock, New Mexico.
Ashlynne Mike was kidnapped along with her 9-year-old brother from a Navajo reservation after school Monday by a man who has been described as a stranger in a van.
An FBI spokesman said Tom Begaye, 27, will appear in court later.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) say the girl’s body was found Tuesday morning. The initial investigation reveals that Ashlynne Mike was playing with her 9-year-old brother in their front yard after school when they were both abducted.
Ashlynne was last seen Monday in San Juan County, NM around 4 p.m. Around 7 p.m. Monday, her brother Ian was found alone and unhurt, but Ashlynne was not with him. An Amber Alert was issued a few hours later.
FBI Agents learned during their investigation that an unknown Native American man, now identified as Begaye, abducted Ashlynne and was last seen in the area of Navajo Route 36 mile post 13. He was driving a maroon van with a roof rack and no hubcaps.
Investigators say the man drove up to the children playing in their yard and asked them if they needed a ride. They both got into the van.
A prayer vigil will be held Tuesday at 6 p.m. at the San Juan Chapter House in Fruitland, NM.
Agencies/Canadajournal