The case of a missing 14-year-old South Dakota girl found dead greater than 50 miles from her house is drawing the eye of federal authorities, web sleuths and nationwide information media as police stay tight-lipped about what they imagine occurred to the teenager.
McKenna Wendel’s physique was found on Thursday, March 19, in Brookings, South Dakota, roughly an hour north of the house she shared along with her grandparents in Sioux Falls. The Sioux Falls Police Department introduced the situation of McKenna’s physique during a news conference on Monday, March 23.
South Dakota Attorney General Marty Jackley, who was on the scene in a rural space when McKenna’s physique was recovered, informed reporters on Monday that he has assured her household “that law enforcement is giving this the attention it deserves.”
“This is a 14-year-old little girl,” Jackley mentioned. “You can be assured that law enforcement is going to continue to give this the attention it deserves to bring justice to what happened to McKenna.”
At occasions throughout the information convention, authorities sounded cryptic about whether or not they imagine somebody killed McKenna between the time she went lacking in the early-morning hours of March 14 and when her physique was found every week later.
McKenna Wendel
“I have no suspect of any crime yet,” Lt. Terrance Matia informed reporters on Monday. But when requested why police have mentioned they do not imagine the general public is in any hazard, Matia responded that “there’s no one out there assaulting someone.”
“We think that all the people that were involved or know her whereabouts we have either in custody on unrelated charges or we know who they are,” he mentioned.
Matia acknowledged releasing restricted info however mentioned it is “because the whole point of the investigation is for McKenna, and to make sure that if there is a prosecution, it is successfully prosecuted.”
Sioux Falls Police Chief Jon Thum mentioned that each one the investigators “are very dogged in the pursuit that we have of the job we have in front of us.”
“This is a tragedy,” he mentioned. “And this is one that’ll stick with us for the entirety of our careers.”
Here’s what we all know concerning the case thus far.
What are circumstances surrounding McKenna Wendel’s demise?
McKenna Wendel was final seen in Sioux Falls, the place she lived along with her grandparents, round 1:30 a.m. on March 14. She was reported lacking on March 15, with police Lt. Aaron Nyberg saying she was final identified to be with a member of the family, although he did not specify who, according to the Sioux Falls Argus Leader, a part of the USA TODAY Network.
On Thursday morning, authorities went to a rural space of Brookings and found her physique. Two individuals led authorities to the situation, Matia mentioned, although he didn’t elaborate.
When requested how McKenna could have ended up the place her physique was found, he mentioned she was “transported in a vehicle.”
Authorities have mentioned little or no about what they believed occurred to McKenna, although Matia mentioned that she “and others may have traveled to other locations” throughout the time she was gone, together with Iowa, Minnesota and a number of places in South Dakota. Matia declined to elaborate however mentioned his company is working with the FBI, the U.S. Attorney’s Office and the South Dakota Attorney General’s Office “in locating where the venue would be if criminal charges were to come in the future.”
He mentioned authorities plan to launch extra info after McKenna’s post-mortem is completed later this week. The post-mortem started on Monday.
Capt. Terrance Matia with the Crimes Against Persons unit, alongside Sioux Falls Police Chief Jon Thum (proper), South Dakota Attorney General Marty Jackley and representatives of quite a few state regulation businesses, speaks Monday, March 23, 2026, on the Sioux Falls Law Enforcement Center concerning the disappearance and demise of 14-year-old McKenna Wendel, who was found dead on March 19 close to a creek in rural Brookings County, South Dakota.
Owner of property the place McKenna Wendel was found is ‘simply sick’
Authorities started searching for McKenna’s physique in the world the place it was found on March 17, the Argus Leader reported. It’s referred to as the Six-Mile drainage creek simply west of Brookings.
Todd Voss, who owns the land the place McKenna was found, told the Argus Leader that he gave authorities permission to go looking the property. After they scoured it for over 24 hours with no consequence, Voss suggested them to take a look at heavy grass and willows alongside the drainage ditch close to a bridge.
When Voss acquired the information they’d found McKenna, he flew again residence from Arizona and began processing the tragedy.
“I sat there on the bridge and was just sick,” Voss informed the newspaper. “This is my peaceful place, where I go out and enjoy the wildlife … This will probably taint it forever. I will be thinking of her every time I walk out there.”
The physique of 14-year-old McKenna Wendel of Sioux Falls, South Dakota, was recovered March 19, 2026, alongside Six-Mile Creek, someplace close to 214th Street west of Brookings, South Dakota. Some, however not all, first responders taking part in the water restoration included the Sioux Falls Police Department, the Brookings County Sheriff’s Department and the Brookings County Fire Department.
Who was McKenna Wendel?
McKenna Rose Wendell, who turned 14 in January, was an enormous sister to 2 siblings, made buddies simply, and “had a vibrant personality and a zest for life,” according to her obituary.
“She loved being outdoors − climbing trees, playing in the park, and riding her bike,” her household wrote. “She could often be found digging in the dirt looking for critters or catching tadpoles to bring home as pets.”
McKenna liked animals a lot that she “spent a great deal of time trying to convince her grandma that they should adopt lizards, frogs, and any other little creature that caught her eye,” the obit mentioned. “They finally settled on two hermit crabs and a sheepadoodle named Iris. When her hermit crabs passed away, she held a funeral for them and had her Papa make a cross for their burial.”
McKenna, who was Indigenous, lived with grandparents Ralph and Rose Wendel, and the trio usually went to Pow-wows collectively. McKenna notably “loved the singing and the beautiful sounds of the drums,” her obituary mentioned.
McKenna additionally liked spending time along with her finest good friend Aaliyah, and the 2 women who maintain sleepovers, make dance movies and watch the sundown collectively, the obituary mentioned.
“McKenna’s sweet, gentle nature and her fun sense of humor will be cherished and greatly missed,” the obituary mentioned. “She was the center around which her grandparents’ lives revolved. She touched the hearts and lives of all who knew her.”
McKenn’a funeral will likely be held on Thursday, March 26.
Contributing: Angela George, Sioux Falls Argus Leader
Amanda Lee Myers is a senior crime reporter who covers chilly case investigations and the demise penalty for USA TODAY. Follow her on X at @amandaleeusat.
This article initially appeared on USA TODAY: 14-year-old McKenna Wendel found dead in South Dakota: ‘A tragedy’
