An American missing since February was found dead in southern Mexico, with authorities treating the case as a possible femicide. Makala Pendley, 30, was located on Monday near the city of Zinacantán, in the state of Chiapas, with head injuries. According to prosecutor Jorge Luis Llaven Abarca, the cause of death was traumatic brain injury.
The family confirmed the victim’s identity on Tuesday and reported that she was pregnant. The Chiapas prosecutor, Jorge Luis Llaven Abarca, detailed that the body had blunt injuries to the head, with death attributed to traumatic brain injury. In a press conference broadcast live, he indicated that investigators estimate that Pendley had already been dead between 8 and 12 hours before the discovery.
The family reported to FOX59 that Pendley was found naked in a ditch. The Mexican authorities are looking for one or more suspects and, according to Abarca, operate with a zero tolerance policy for feminicide violence. The victim’s seven children were also located in Mexico and are safely in the custody of local authorities.
Pendley was reported missing in February by a caseworker with the Indiana Department of Children’s Services. Afterwards, Indianapolis police informed the Indianapolis Star that the woman and children had been seen in Mexico the previous month, which formally closed the missing persons report at that time.
A family member told the Indianapolis Star that Joseph Jude Butler Jr., the children’s father, was detained by Mexican police. Pendley’s sister, Maurica Lambert, told the newspaper that the couple had a toxic, on-and-off relationship since they were teenagers. Court records reviewed by the publication show that the two were disputing paternity recognition and custody of the children.
Lambert expressed surprise at the arrest when speaking with FOX59. She stated, “I thought it was someone else. I still think it’s someone else. It would never cross my mind that it could be him. I never had that kind of feeling from him.”