Editor’s note: This story was updated at 8:45 p.m. CDT Thursday to correct the name of the Brookings man who is facing charges in connection to the case. We apologize for the mistake.
Law enforcement representatives announced June 18 that charges were filed against two men in the death of McKenna Wendel, a 14-year-old from Sioux Falls whose body was discovered near Brookings on March 19.
Mark Milk, a family member of Wendel, was charged in her death, while Jon Rogness of Brookings was charged as an accessory to the crime.
Both were charged in federal court in Iowa’s Northern District, with Milk facing five counts:
• Possession with intent to distribute and distribution of a controlled substance resulting in death.
• Distribution of a controlled substance.
• Transportation of a minor to engage in criminal sexual activity.
• Conspiracy to conceal objects with intent to impair their availability for an official proceeding.
• Concealing objects with intent to impair their availability for official proceedings.
Rogness is facing two counts:
• Conspiracy to conceal objects with intent to impair their availability for an official proceeding.
• Accessory after the fact.
The officials said the investigation is complete and prosecutors are working through jurisdiction issues because law enforcement officials from Brookings and Minnehaha counties in South Dakota, along with officials from Iowa and Minnesota, were involved in the investigation.
They also stated that all legal hearings in the case will be conducted in federal courts in Iowa.
The charges were announced at a news conference in the office of the U.S. attorney for the Northern District of Iowa in Sioux City. U.S. Attorney Leif Olson addressed the conference. He was joined by Ron Parsons, U.S. attorney for the District of South Dakota; Jon Thum, Sioux Fall police chief; and Mike Hockett, special agent in charge from the South Dakota Division of Criminal Investigation.
Brookings County State’s Attorney Dan Nelson spoke on the Wendel case when it became public in March.
“Ms. Wendel’s deceased body was recovered approximately 2 miles southwest of Brookings city limits. Local law enforcement and (the) fire department worked closely with our state and surrounding agencies to find and recover her body,” he told The Brookings Register on March 23.
Wendel had been missing for nearly a week prior to the discovery that involved the effort of multiple law enforcement agencies.
— Contact Doug Kott at [email protected].
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