Makala Pendley, a 30-year-old pregnant woman from Indiana, was found dead in Chiapas, Mexico, more than three months after she and her seven children were reported missing. Local officials confirmed her death earlier this week. Pendley was six months pregnant when she disappeared in February. Her sister, Mauricia Lambert, stated on a GoFundMe page that Pendley was found with severe injuries, including a traumatic brain injury caused by blunt-force trauma, according to Mexican authorities.
Following the identification of Pendley’s body, authorities began searching for her children and her partner, Joseph Jude Butler Jr., who has been identified as a suspect. The children were later located in good health and placed under government protection. Butler was arrested shortly after the discovery of Pendley’s body, as announced by Chiapas State Prosecutor Jorge Luis Llaven Abarca during a Facebook Live broadcast.
Llaven Abarca stated that Butler's criminal responsibility would be determined soon, and they would seek a maximum sentence of 100 years for femicide. Just days before Pendley’s identification, authorities had found the body of another deceased woman in Zinacantán. Pendley and her children were reported missing on February 25 after an alert was issued by the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children.
Pendley had previously been found alive in Mexico last month, having fled there due to fears that her children would be taken away from her. Authorities took custody of her children at that time but later returned them to Pendley. During the recent broadcast, it was noted that Butler had a history of criminal activity, including an active warrant in Alaska and previous detentions in the U.S. for various charges. Pendley and Butler had a tumultuous relationship, with past allegations of assault against Butler. Pendley’s body and her children are expected to be returned to Indianapolis.