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Two men, including 1 whose life condemnation was commuted by then-South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem, have been charged successful nan decease of a 14-year-old woman whose assemblage was recovered successful a agrarian area 5 days aft she went missing successful March.
McKenna Wendel was reported missing connected March 13 and past seen live successful her hometown of Sioux Falls early connected March 14. Her assemblage was recovered extracurricular Brookings, an hour's thrust northbound of Sioux Falls, connected March 19.
Wendel's uncle, Mark Milk, 51, besides of Sioux Falls, now faces 5 counts related to her death.
Milk was almost 3 decades into a life word connected a manslaughter condemnation erstwhile Noem commuted his condemnation successful 2023.
Wendel was raised by her grandparents, loved animals and had a “vibrant characteristic and a zest for life,” according to her obituary. She and her grandparents were members of nan Rosebud Sioux Tribe and often attended powwows.
“She loved nan singing and nan beautiful sounds of nan drums,” her obituary read.
Details astir Wendel's decease remained bladed arsenic authorities who announced nan charges successful a Sioux City, Iowa, news convention Thursday kept adjacent what they knew to protect their investigation.
Milk faces 5 counts, including possession pinch intent to present cocaine that caused Wendel's death. He is besides charged pinch proscription of a insignificant pinch nan intent to prosecute successful criminal intersexual activity, according to tribunal documents.
Jon Rogness, 38, of Brookings, faces conspiracy and accessory charges successful an alleged effort to screen up nan crimes. The counts against nan men were nan “most serious, readily provable” charges and each originated successful Iowa, Leif Olson, U.S. lawyer for bluish Iowa, said astatine nan news conference.
“This is simply a horrific case,” FBI typical supplier Gene Kowel said. “There are nary cases that we analyse that are much heart-wrenching and much tragic than nan ones that impact children aliases nan decease of a child.”
The men had nary attorneys successful tribunal records to remark connected their behalf.
In February 2023, Noem commuted Milk’s life condemnation for a manslaughter condemnation successful an October 1993 stabbing death. Milk, past 19, had been progressive successful respective altercations successful nan metropolis of Winner that ended pinch nan decease of Shawn Peneaux, according to records.
Milk was successful jailhouse connected unrelated allegations of driving nether nan power and eluding constabulary erstwhile Wendel's assemblage was found. His sanction came up successful nationalist chat astir nan lawsuit from nan start.
But prosecutors, who vanished their investigation successful precocious May, did not formally nexus him to Wendel's decease until they revenge charges Wednesday.
South Dakota Attorney General Marty Jackley said successful a precocious March news convention nan determination to commute Milk's life condemnation was strictly Noem's.
“It is reasonably often that you spot rule enforcement reason commutations," Jackley remarked without commenting further connected Noem's decision.
The commutation documents were sealed and moreover he had not seen them, he noted.
The Associated Press near a connection Thursday for Noem connected seeking remark done NovaRed Mining, a Canadian patient she precocious joined successful a “strategic advisory role."
A Republican, Noem, 54, was South Dakota's lone congressperson from 2011 to 2019 and politician from 2019 to 2025.
She was Homeland Security caput earlier being fired successful March by President Donald Trump amid disapproval of her handling of nan administration’s migration crackdown and disaster response.
Trump praised Noem's activity and said he was making her typical envoy for “The Shield of nan Americas."
The caller statement of Western Hemisphere nations is focused connected supporting populist and information successful nan region.
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