Suspect arrested in abduction, killing of 11-year-old Navajo girl

FARMINGTON, N.M. (AP) — Authorities have arrested a 27-year-old man in the abduction and death of an 11-year-old Navajo girl in northwestern New Mexico.

The FBI says Tom Begaye of Waterflow, New Mexico, was arrested Tuesday evening.

Before the arrest, New Mexico Gov. Susana Martinez called the murder a horrible tragedy, saying the priority should be finding and arresting "the monster who did this."

The agency says that Begaye was arrested in connection with the abduction and death of Ashlynne Mike.

Begaye is scheduled to appear before U.S. Magistrate Judge B. Paul Briones in Farmington on Wednesday.

Authorities say Ashlynee was lured into a maroon van Monday after school, and her younger brother went along.

The boy was found later Monday after running to a local highway, and a frantic search for Ashlynne ensued. Her body was found Tuesday in a remote area south of the Shiprock monument.

Navajo Nation President has called for prayers and sympathy for Ashlynne's family. Candlight vigils are scheduled Tuesday evening.

Authorities described the kidnapper as a light-skinned Native American in his 20s or 30s with a teardrop tattoo under his left eye who drove a maroon van with a luggage rack but no hubcaps.



At the bus stop Monday afternoon, he approached the siblings and a third boy, asking them if they wanted to see a movie. The boys said no, but Ashlynne was somehow lured into the man's van.

The boy was distraught, said Darrell Foster-Joe, the children's aunt.

"He was so tired and just crying and crying for his sister," she said. "It was really hard for the FBI to get any information from him."

Wade acknowledged that some parents are worried about the safety of their children as they go to and from school. Ashlynne lived in the vast reservation's San Juan Chapter, a community that has been on edge since word spread that the girl was missing.

She attended Ojo Amarillo Elementary School in Fruitland, New Mexico, and lived about a quarter-mile from the bus stop. Her aunt described Ashlynne as a fun-loving, kind and quiet girl.

An Amber Alert was issued around 2:30 a.m. Tuesday. It wasn't clear why it took hours for authorities to get word out about the abduction, and Wade declined to answer related questions during the news conference.