The air and ground search for an abducted Navajo girl ended tragically Tuesday when authorities found the 11-year-old dead near the towering rock formation that gives the New Mexico town of Shiprock its name.
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Hundreds of law enforcement officers and volunteers have been scouring the area between Shiprock and Red Valley, Arizona for 11-year-old Ashlynn Mike since Monday afternoon. The man reportedly was wearing a baseball hat.
KRQE News 13 has been in contact with some of the family members via Facebook who say that Ashlynn and her brother were abducted by the man, but he dropped off the boy and kept the girl.
Ashlynne Mike was last seen Monday around 4 p.m., according to a press release from New Mexico State Police.
Farmington police spokeswoman Georgette Allen said the department’s K-9 unit was dispatched earlier this morning.
She also says the abductor lured the kids into his van, promising to take them to a movie.
The boy was distraught, said Darrell Foster-Joe, the children’s aunt. “We will solve this case and give Ashlynne Mike’s family the justice they deserve”.
The missing girl is described as Native American, about 4-foot-8 and 80 pounds with brown eyes and black hair. Her aunt described Ashlynne as a fun-loving, kind and quiet girl.
A local radio station alerted residents to the abduction and gave a description of the suspect’s vehicle, San Juan Chapter manager Stanley Wauneka said.
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A prayer vigil was planned for Tuesday evening.
