14-year-old McKenna Wendel found dead in South Dakota

A missing 14-year-old South Dakota girl was found dead more than 50 miles from her home, a case that has drawn the attention of federal authorities, Internet sleuths and the national news media as police remain tight-lipped about what they believe happened to the teen.

McKenna Wendel’s body was found Thursday, March 19, in Brookings, South Dakota, about an hour’s drive north of the home she shared with her grandparents in Sioux Falls. The Sioux Falls Police Department announced the location of McKenna’s body during a news conference on Monday, March 23.

South Dakota Attorney General Marty Jackley told reporters Monday when McKenna’s body was found in a rural area that he had assured her family that “law enforcement is giving this the attention it deserves.”

“This is a 14-year-old little girl,” Jackley said. “You can rest assured that law enforcement will continue to give this incident the attention it deserves and seek justice for what happened to McKenna.”

At press conferences, authorities at times sounded equivocal about whether McKenna was killed from the time she disappeared in the early morning hours of March 14 until her body was found a week later.

“I don’t have any suspects yet,” Lt. Terrence Mattia told reporters Monday. But when asked why police said they did not believe there was any danger to the public, Mattia responded “No one was out there attacking anyone.”

“We believe everyone involved or aware of her whereabouts are either in custody on unrelated charges or we know who they are,” he said.

Mattia acknowledged the release of limited information but said “because the whole purpose of the investigation is for McKenna and to make sure that if there is an indictment, it will be successful.”

Sioux Falls Police Chief Jon Thum said all investigators were “very tenacious in pursuing the work before us.”

“This is a tragedy,” he said. “This will stay with us throughout our careers.”

Here’s what we know about the case so far.

What is the background to McKenna Wendell’s death?

McKenna Wendell was last seen around 1:30 a.m. on March 14, where she lived with her grandparents in Sioux Falls. She was reported missing on March 15, and police Lt. Aaron Nyberg said she was last known to be with a family member, though he did not specify who, the USA TODAY Network’s Sioux Falls Argus Leader reported.

Authorities found her body in a rural area of ​​Brookings Thursday morning. Mattia said two people led authorities to the location, but he did not elaborate.

Asked how McKenna ended up where her body was found, he said she was “carried in.”

Authorities have said little about what they believe happened to McKenna, although Mattia said she “and others may have traveled to other places” during her absence, including multiple locations in Iowa, Minnesota and South Dakota. Mattia declined to elaborate but said his agency was working with the FBI, the U.S. Attorney’s Office and the South Dakota Attorney General’s Office “to determine the venue for future criminal charges should they arise.”

He said authorities plan to release more information after McKenna’s autopsy is completed later this week. An autopsy began on Monday.

McKenna Wendell found property owner ‘just sick’

Authorities began searching for bodies in the area where McKenna’s body was found on March 17, the Argus Leader reported. It’s called Six Mile Drainage Creek and is located west of Brookings.

Todd Voss, the owner of the land where McKenna was found, told the Argus Leader he gave authorities permission to search the property. After they searched for more than 24 hours with no results, Voss suggested they look at the thick grass and willows beside the drainage ditch near the bridge.

When Voss got word that they had found McKenna, he flew back home from Arizona to process the tragedy.

“I was sitting on the bridge and I felt sick,” Voss told the newspaper. “This is my quiet place where I can go out and enjoy the wildlife…This may taint it forever. Every time I walk out there, I think of her.”

Who is McKenna Wendell?

McKenna Rose Wendell, who turned 14 in January, was the older sister of two siblings who made friends easily and had a “bubbly personality and zest for life,” according to her obituary.

“She loved the outdoors – climbing trees, playing in the park, riding her bike,” her family wrote. “She can often be found digging in the dirt, looking for small animals, or catching tadpoles to take home as pets.”

McKenna loved animals so much that she “spent many hours trying to convince her grandmother that they should adopt lizards, frogs and any other critter that caught her eye,” the obituary said. “They ended up settling on two hermit crabs and a collie named Iris. When her crabs died, she held a funeral for them and had her dad make a cross for them.”

McKenna, who is Aboriginal, lived with his grandparents, Ralph and Rose Wendell, and the three often went to Pow-wows together. McKenna especially “loved singing and the sound of a good drum,” her obituary said.

McKenna also enjoyed spending time with her best friend Aaliyah, with the two girls having sleepovers, making dance videos and watching sunsets together, the obituary said.

“McKenna’s sweet, gentle nature and fun sense of humor will be cherished and missed,” the obituary said. “She was the center of her grandparents’ lives. She touched the hearts and lives of all who knew her.”

McCann’s funeral will be held on Thursday, March 26.

Contributor: Angela George, Sioux Falls Argus Leader

Amanda Lee Myers is a veteran crime reporter covering cold case investigations and capital punishment for USA TODAY. Follow her on X @amandaleeusat.

This article originally appeared in USA TODAY: McKenna Wendel, 14, found dead in South Dakota: ‘A tragedy’