Outside the courtroom it was a different story.
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The crime has sent shockwaves through the small tribal communities that line the San Juan River in New Mexico’s northwest corner.
Begaye has been charged with murder and two counts of kidnapping in federal court. He is said to have let the little boy go near the Arizona state line, according to KRQE.
Begaye remains in federal custody and will make his next court appearance Friday in Albuquerque.
The school district serving the rural area where the girl lived says students whose parents don’t pick them up at their bus stops will be taken back to school instead of dropped off unattended.
Rick Nez, president of the Navajo’s San Juan chapter, said Wednesday he attended the hearing on behalf of Ashlynne’s family.
“I know you look to us in leadership for strength and guidance”, said Crotty as she cried. “I probably see it every day”.
He allegedly abducted Ashlynne Mike and her nine-year-old brother from the Navajo reservation on Monday afternoon. It also has people showering Ashlynne’s family with support.
The children were kidnapped after school near the community of San Juan, New Mexico, by a man driving a van who offered them a ride, authorities said.
Jon Austria/AP An access road to the Shiprock pinnacle is taped off along Navajo Route 13, just a few miles from where Ashlynne Mike’s body was discovered. The man returned a short while later, ordered Ian out of the vehicle and fled, the complaint states. He ran for help, toward some distant headlights, and was finally scooped up by a passing motorist who brought him to police.
Around 11:30 a.m., investigators found her body roughly six miles south of the Shiprock Pinnacle.
Detectives linked her death to Begaye after receiving tips from two alleged witnesses, and found him in a sweat lodge outside of Shiprock.
He told investigators he removed the girl’s clothing with the intention of sexually assaulting her, according to the affidavit.
Tom Begaye, 27, of Waterflow, N.M., was arrested Tuesday evening in connection to Ashlynne’s murder. The New Mexico State Police have a criteria in which they have to obtain information by protocol from an agency source before they issue an Amber Alert.
The abduction and murder has raised questions about how soon the Navajo Nation was notified of the missing child or a possible suspect.
“Our Nation has just gone through a tragic event”, Begaye said in his statement.
Navajo Nation President has called for prayers and sympathy for Ashlynne’s family.
Now they say that’s something they’ll miss.
Begaye, who said he could not afford an attorney, will have one provided to him, the judge said. “We need to do everything we can to implement a system that will enable members of the Navajo Nation to more readily assist in looking for perpetrators, especially when an abduction has taken place”.
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Begaye is a common name among the Navajo, and the defendant is no relation to the tribal leader.
