Suspect in 14-Year-Old Girl’s Death Had Life Sentence Commuted by Kristi Noem

AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura

A man whose life sentence was commuted by then-South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem has been charged in connection with the death of a 14-year-old girl whose disappearance prompted a days-long search earlier this year, per statements from the Sioux Falls police reported by ABC News on Friday.

According to an indictment unsealed this week, 51-year-old Mark Milk faces federal charges alleging he transported a minor with the intent to engage in criminal sexual activity, supplied cocaine that resulted in the girl’s death, and later worked with another man to conceal evidence.

The victim, McKenna Wendel, was reported missing in March before authorities discovered her body in a rural area near Brookings, South Dakota. Prosecutors allege the teenager died from a drug overdose on or about March 14.

A second defendant, 38-year-old Jon Rogness of Brookings, is accused of helping Milk evade law enforcement after McKenna’s death. Both men are currently in state custody, according to authorities, with Milk’s arrest occurring on March 17 for drunk driving and aggravated eluding charges.

Federal and local investigators described the case in stark terms as they announced the charges during a Thursday press briefing.

“This is a horrific case,” FBI Omaha Field Office Special Agent in Charge Gene Kowel said. “There are no cases that we investigate that are more heart-wrenching, more tragic than ones that involve children or the death of a child.”

The charges have also renewed attention on Milk’s criminal history. In 1994, he received a life sentence for manslaughter after fatally stabbing a man during a fight. South Dakota’s Board of Pardons and Paroles later recommended clemency, and Noem, who would later serve as Homeland Security Secretary under President Donald Trump before her firing, commuted the sentence in 2023 to 240 years, making him eligible for parole.

According to ABC News, the victim was listed as a guest at Milk’s June 2024 parole hearing, with Sioux Falls police having previously identified Milk as a family member of the teen.

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