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Who Killed Ashlynne Mike? Kidnapped Navajo Child Found Slain

By Chelsea Hoffman
Published on: 08:55 PST, May 3, 2016

A child at the center of an Amber Alert has been found slain, and now authorities are investigating the circumstances surrounding her disappearance and death. Crimesider reports that 11-year-old Ashlynne Mike was abducted yesterday from around the Farmington, New Mexico, area. At the time of her reported abduction, the circumstances indicated that she was forcefully kidnapped by an unidentified male, who is also Native American. Now that the search for the missing child has ended on an extremely tragic note, authorities must now figure out what led to this horrifying crime — and who exactly is responsible for it.

The Herald Standard reports that the FBI has been assisting in the case, utilizing land and air tactics to search for the child and the man responsible for kidnapping and killing her. Authorities have also confirmed that they believe this to be a case of “stranger abduction,” which is indeed rare. Stranger abductions only account for less than 1 percent of missing children’s cases — with the vast majority of abductions being committed by acquaintances, family members, or other people known to the victims. Furthermore, children who are victims of violent stranger abductions tend to be killed within the first three hours of the kidnapping.

In the disappearance of Ashlynne Mike (also reported erroneously as Ashlynn Mike), it was immediately apparent that a stranger had kidnapped the 11-year-old child. In fact, the unidentified male who allegedly kidnapped the girl also kidnapped her little brother while the two were reportedly walking around the area of Shiprock Pinnacle Peak. However, the man did not wish to keep the male child, so he dropped him off and kept the 11-year-old girl. The boy notified authorities at Shiprock Police, who immediately jumped into action and began searching for his kidnapped sister — and the mystery man accused of taking her.

It didn’t take long for the body of Ashlynne Mike to be found, less than 24 hours into the search for her. Meanwhile, folks on social media and popular crime sleuthing forums are expressing confusion about the circumstances surrounding this kidnapping and murder. It’s not known at this time exactly how the slain girl’s little brother made his way to Shiprock Police. Some people are questioning whether or not the abductor had dropped the boy off at the police station, but this has not been confirmed or denied by authorities.

What is known about the abductor is that he is an adult Native American male. His age at this time is not known. He was reportedly driving a maroon-colored van, but there is no license plate information available, nor have authorities released any other details about the suspect they are seeking.

If you know anything about the kidnapping and murder of 11-year-old Ashlynne Mike, please do not hesitate to contact authorities in Shiprock, New Mexico, or the FBI. Furthermore, if you think you may have an idea of the identity of the man believed responsible for this horrifying crime, this information could be useful in bringing the child’s killer to justice. The kidnapping and death of this 11-year-old Navajo child has not only shocked the Navajo Nation, but people across the country are also mourning for the loss of another innocent child.

[Photo via Shiprock Police/Ashlynne Mike]

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