Man charged over death of girl, 14, had life sentence commuted by Donald Trump ally

A man charged over the death of a 14-year-old girl was out on parole after his life sentence was communted by a key ally of US President Donald Trump. Former Homeland Security Secretary and now Special Envoy Kristi Noem was the governor of the US state of South Dakota when it was recommended suspect Mark Milk had his life sentence commuted. Milk was almost three decades into a life term on a manslaughter conviction when Noem commuted his sentence in 2023, leaving him eligible for parole.

He is now one of two men been charged over the death of a 14-year-old girl whose body was found in a rural area five days after she went missing in March. McKenna Wendel was last seen alive in her hometown of Sioux Falls early on March 14. Her body was found outside Brookings, an hour’s drive north of Sioux Falls, on March 19. Wendel’s uncle, Mark Milk, 51, also of Sioux Falls, now faces five counts related to her death.

Wendel was raised by her grandparents, loved animals and had a “vibrant personality and a zest for life,” according to her obituary. She and her grandparents were Rosebud Sioux Tribe members and attended powwows often.

“She loved the singing and the beautiful sounds of the drums,” her obituary added.

A Republican, Ms Noem, 54, was South Dakota’s lone congressperson from 2011 to 2019 and governor from 2019 to 2025. She was Homeland Security Secretary before being fired in March by President Donald Trump amid criticism of her handling of the administration’s immigration crackdown and disaster response.

Trump praised Ms Noem’s leadership and said he was making her special envoy for “The Shield of the Americas”. The new organisation of Western Hemisphere nations is focused on supporting democracy and security in the region.

Details about Wendel’s death remained thin as authorities who announced the charges in a Sioux City, Iowa, news conference on Thursday kept close what they knew to protect their investigation.

Authorities have said an autopsy was done, but the findings have not been released. The cause and manner of Wendel’s death would not be released yet per Justice Department policy, said Leif Olson, US attorney for northern Iowa.

Milk faces five counts including possession with intent to deliver cocaine before Wendel’s death. He is also charged with transportation of a minor with the intent to engage in criminal sexual activity, according to court documents.

Jon Rogness, 38, of Brookings faces conspiracy and accessory charges in an alleged attempt to cover up the crimes. The counts against the men were the “most serious, readily provable” charges and all originated in Iowa, Olson said.

“This is a horrific case,” FBI special agent Gene Kowel said. “There are no cases that we investigate that are more heart-wrenching and more tragic than the ones that involve children or the death of a child.”

Court records showed no lawyers listed for Milk and Rogness, and no relatives could immediately be located through phone records and social media to speak on their behalf.

In February 2023, Ms Noem commuted Milk’s life sentence for a manslaughter conviction in an October 1993 stabbing death. Milk, then 19, had been involved in several altercations in the city of Winner that ended with the death of Shawn Peneaux, according to records.

Milk was in jail on unrelated allegations of driving under the influence and eluding police when Wendel’s body was found.

South Dakota Attorney General Marty Jackley said in a late March news conference the decision to commute Milk’s life sentence was strictly Ms Noem’s.

“It is fairly often that you see law enforcement oppose commutations,” Jackley remarked without commenting further on Noem’s decision.

The commutation documents were sealed and even he had not seen them, he noted.