Mexican authorities have apprehended the partner of an Indiana mother, whose body was discovered months after she went missing alongside her seven children, prosecutors reported on Monday.
The victim, identified as Makara Pendley, 30, from Indianapolis, was found dead in the southern Mexican state of Chiapas. She was six months pregnant when she disappeared, according to her family.
Jorge Luis Raven Abarca, the Chiapas state prosecutor, announced the arrest of the suspect, identified as Joseph “N,” during a Facebook Live conference. He is Pendley’s partner and the primary suspect in the investigation.
“In the coming hours, we may see his criminal charges decided and a trial could follow. We are aiming for a maximum sentence of 100 years for the person responsible for this woman’s murder,” Raven Abarca stated at a news briefing.
Furthermore, the prosecutor confirmed that Pendley’s seven children have been located and are now under government care, reportedly in good health. Authorities are coordinating with the U.S. embassy to facilitate their reunification with family members.
The family was last heard from during a trip to Mexico in February. On February 23, the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children issued an alert after Pendley and her children were reported missing in Indianapolis.
Prior to confirming Pendley’s identity, Raven Abarca announced in another Facebook Live session that investigators found the body of a woman in the Elambo Bajo neighborhood of Zinacantan.
Initial findings revealed Pendley suffered a traumatic brain injury from blunt force trauma. It’s believed her body was left at the site for about eight to twelve hours before discovery.
Indianapolis police had reported that the family had been located in Mexico the previous month and, moments later, the children were briefly held by local authorities before being returned to Pendley.
During Monday’s news conference, Raven Abarca noted that authorities discovered the suspect has a criminal history in the U.S., which includes an active arrest warrant in Alaska and police alerts from Indianapolis regarding Pendley’s disappearance.
Moreover, the prosecutor indicated that the suspect had faced earlier charges, which included assault, robbery, fraud, illegal weapon possession, intimidation, and rape.
