The FBI has announced an arrest in the abduction and murder of an 11-year-old Navajo girl.
Tom Begaye, 27, of Waterflow, was arrested Tuesday evening and charged in the murder of Ashlynne Mike, whom Begaye allegedly abducted Monday afternoon and killed, dumping her body near the Shiprock monument in Shiprock.
He is scheduled for arraignment Wednesday morning in a Farmington court.
Begaye was taken into custody at a residence in Lower Fruitland. A maroon van described by witnesses following the kidnapping Monday was also located at the residence.
Ashlynne and her brother, 9-year-old Ian, were reportedly abducted around 4 p.m. Monday afternoon while playing near their home in Lower Fruitland. The family reported them missing at 6:56 p.m. Monday. Just moments later, Ian was found walking along a roadway by a passing motorist.
Ian told police he and his sister had been kidnapped and driven to a location near the Shiprock monument.
An Amber Alert was issued at 2:27 a.m. Tuesday for Ashlynne, who remained missing, and was called off around 11 a.m. Tuesday after her body was located.
Members of the Navajo Nation expressed frustration over the amount of time between the discovery an abduction had taken place and the issuance of an Amber Alert. FBI spokesmen, however, stated Amber Alert procedures, including the conduction of a criminal investigation, were followed according to protocol.
