Suspect Arrested in connection with Ashlynn Mike's Abduction, Death

A Waterflow, N.M., man was arrested Tuesday in connection with the abduction and death of 11-year-old Ashlynne Mike. Tom Begaye, 27, is scheduled to appear before U.S. Magistrate Judge B. Paul Briones in Farmington on Wednesday.

From the FBI: A Waterflow, N.M., man was arrested Tuesday in connection with the abduction and death of 11-year-old Ashlynne Mike.

Tom Begaye, 27, is scheduled to appear before U.S. Magistrate Judge B. Paul Briones in Farmington on Wednesday.

Ashlynne's body was found Tuesday morning approximately 6 miles south of the Shiprock Monument. She had been abducted in the Fruitland area Monday afternoon.

The FBI is investigating this case with the Navajo Nation Division of Public Safety, New Mexico State Police, San Juan County Sheriff’s Office, Farmington Police Department and the U.S. Marshals Service.

No further information will be released until after Begaye's court appearance.

The public is reminded that defendants are presumed innocent unless convicted in a court of law.

More from Local News

  • Lauren Laws Named Interim Superintendent for Aztec Schools

    For 15 years, Lauren Laws has dedicated her career to Aztec Schools, beginning as a Special Education teacher in 2008. In 2010 she transitioned to General Education, where she spent six years in the classroom working with 4th and 5th graders at Park Avenue Elementary while completing work on her Master's Degree. During her tenure at Park Avenue Elementary, she also served a Lead Teacher, Assistant Principal, and Principal. Lauren has spent the past three years serving as the Associate Superintendent of Teaching and Learning for the district.

  • Durango Picks Brice Current to be New Police Chief

    Brice Current was a former narcotics agent with the San Juan County Sheriff's Office in Aztec, NM. He was hired as Durango's Deputy Police Chief in 2019.

  • Farmington Schools Hires first Armed Campus Safety Monitor

     The FMS Board of Education authorized school security personnel to carry firearms on school premises during their January 9, 2024, meeting. The move paved the way for the hiring of Armed Campus Safety Monitors (ACSMs), former certified law enforcement officers tasked with providing an additional layer of protection for students and staff during emergencies.

  • City Breaks Ground on Pinon Hills Extension

    Farmington Officials gathered with representatives from the NM Department of Transportation and San Juan County to break ground on the long-anticipated Pinon Hills Boulevard Extension Project. San Juan County announced that design work on their section of the project is 90% completed.

  • Back to Bloomfield: Summers Selected as New Superintendent

    Kevin Summers will be returning to the Bloomfield School District as Superintendent, after the retirement of Dr. Kim Mizell at the end of the current school year. Summers' hire makes an opening in the Superintendent's Office in Aztec where he has served for the past three years.

  • Fort Lewis College Seeks New President/Interim President Named

    Fort Lewis College President Tom Stritikus is stepping down to become the President at Occidental College, a four-year liberal arts college in Los Angeles, Calif.  Steven Schwartz, Fort Lewis College’s Vice President for Finance and Administration, will serve as interim president effective May 6.    He will leave after this year’s Spring Commencement scheduled for Saturday, May 4.  

On KSJE Now:

Today's Weather

  • Farmington, NM

    Heavy rain shower

    High: 68°F | Low: 41°F

  • Durango, CO

    Sunny intervals

    High: 64°F | Low: 36°F

  • Shiprock, NM

    Sunny intervals

    High: 68°F | Low: 45°F

  • Cortez, CO

    Thundery shower

    High: 68°F | Low: 37°F

  • Santa Fe, NM

    Sunny intervals

    High: 66°F | Low: 39°F