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.
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Not wanting his sister to go alone, her brother jumped in too.
Ashlynne was bloodied but still moving when Begaye told investigators he left her hours later.
Tips are flooding in from across the reservation that spans parts of New Mexico, Arizona and Utah as well as the close-knit tribal community where Ashlynne lived.
President Russell Begaye says while the Navajo Nation has an Amber Alert system that works with state police, with criteria that have to be met, Begaye says he would like an alert system that works in real time and says there should never be a delay using technology to report an abduction of their people.
The suspect appeared in U.S. Magistrate court Wednesday on charges of kidnapping and murder.
Authorities identified him as Tom Begaye, 27, but did not offer details as to a possible connection to the children.
Ashlynne’s neighbor Nicole Manuelito said she saw the girl playing with some other children at the bus stop Monday afternoon.
Authorities didn’t immediately say whether the suspect had been found or what they were doing to find him.
An Amber Alert said the missing girl was last seen on Navajo Route 36 and that her kidnapper was driving a maroon van. A passing driver spotted Ian Mike and took him to the Shiprock Police Department, according to authorities.
Ashlynne’s body was discovered Tuesday morning.
The abduction and murder has raised questions about how soon the Navajo Nation was notified of the missing child or a possible suspect.
Rick Nez, president of the Navajo’s San Juan chapter, said Wednesday he attended the hearing on behalf of Ashlynne’s family. Her body was found Tuesday morning south of Shiprock, New Mexico.
Ashlynne and her brother were kidnapped from a school bus stop near the community of San Juan by a man who offered to take them to a cinema.
Lowery said the need for an alert meant to rescue a missing child dwindled because tribal police had credible information from Ashlynne’s brother that the kidnapper drove off without her.
Shawn Mike, Ashlynne’s cousin told KRQE that he didn’t believe the family knew Begaye previously. “I just can’t imagine what the individual said or did to lure them into the vehicle”, he says.
“We didn’t know her personally I just felt like we needed to be here to show our support because it’s heartbreaking”, said Sherri Short, Farmington resident.
She was a fifth-grader at Ojo Amarillo Elementary School in Fruitland, New Mexico, and had been to school Monday, said James Preminger, a spokesoman for the school district.
State police had to ensure it met the proper criteria, and an Amber Alert was sent out more than two hours later.
Both children are members of the Navajo nation. He reported the man had taken his sister, Fisher and the Navajo Nation said. The tribe’s public safety director said every protocol was followed.
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“As a dad, you would like to see your daughter grow up and see her have a family of her own one day”.
