Man whose life sentence was commuted by then-Gov. Kristi Noem implicated in death of 14-year-old niece, feds say

A South Dakota antheral who was precocious charged successful transportation with the decease of his 14-year-old niece antecedently had a beingness situation condemnation commuted by then-South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem.

Mark Milk, 51, stands accused of 1 number each of possession with intent to administer a controlled substance, possession with intent to administer a controlled substance resulting successful death, and proscription of a insignificant with intent to prosecute successful transgression intersexual activity, arsenic good arsenic 2 counts related to concealing objects with intent to impair an authoritative proceeding, according to the indictment obtained by Law&Crime.

The charges are related to the decease of 14-year-old McKenna Wendel, who was reported missing March 13, according to instrumentality enforcement. She was past seen live successful her hometown of Sioux Falls, South Dakota, during the aboriginal greeting hours the adjacent day. Authorities accidental the charged behaviour occurred successful bluish Iowa and announced the charges astatine a property league this week successful Sioux City, Iowa.

The victim's assemblage was recovered March 19 extracurricular of Brookings, a tiny municipality astir 55 miles owed northbound of Sioux Falls.

A 2nd man, Jon Rogness, 38, is besides charged successful the lawsuit and stands accused of 1 number each of conspiracy to conceal objects with intent to impair a proceeding and accessory aft the fact.

The indictment alleges Milk possessed and distributed "a substance oregon substance containing a detectable magnitude of cocaine" connected oregon astir March 14, astir the past clip McKenna was seen alive.

"Furthermore, the decease of M.W. resulted from the usage of the controlled substance suspect possessed with the intent to administer and distributed," the indictment reads, referring to the girl.

While mostly threadbare successful presumption of details, the charging papers makes wide Milk and Rogness are besides accused of trying to "corruptly alter, destroy, mutilate, and conceal objects, with the intent to impair their integrity and availability for usage successful authoritative proceedings," each of which is related to "the disappearance and decease of M.W."

Milk was besides liable for "the proscription of M.W. with the intent to prosecute successful transgression intersexual activity," the indictment alleges.

Authorities accidental Rogness helped Milk aft the information by taking possession of definite drugs and conspiring to fell different items related to McKenna's transportation, disappearance and death.

"All charges occurred wrong the Northern District of Iowa," South Dakota U.S. Attorney Ron Parsons said during the property conference, according to Sioux Falls-based CBS, MyNetworkTV, and The CW affiliate KELO. "The charges that we brought are the astir serious, readily provable."

In 1994, Milk was sentenced to beingness successful situation without the anticipation of parole aft pleading blameworthy to first-degree manslaughter for the October 1993 stabbing decease of Shawn Peneaux, according to appellate tribunal records.

In 2023, aft serving 30 years of his sentence, Noem commuted Milk's condemnation and helium was granted parole successful May 2024.

"The exertion of Mark Milk for commutation of condemnation having been presented to me, unneurotic with facts pertaining to this case, and it appearing determination from that the ends of justness would beryllium champion served by granting the Commutation of Sentence requested," the commutation bid signed by Noem reads.

By the clip McKenna's assemblage was found, Milk was successful jailhouse successful South Dakota connected unrelated charges of driving nether the power and eluding police, according to the Sioux Falls Police Department.

"It is reasonably often that you spot instrumentality enforcement reason commutations," South Dakota Attorney General Marty Jackley said successful a March property conference, according to the Washington Times.

Noem served arsenic South Dakota's congresswoman successful the House of Representatives from 2011 to 2019 and past arsenic politician from 2019 to 2025. She resigned from her gubernatorial presumption to service arsenic the caput of the Department of Homeland Security earlier being fired successful March by President Donald Trump amid wide backlash to a bid of fatal migration enforcement operations.