Pardoned uncle now charged in niece’s death

Mark Milk, 51, who received clemency in 2023 from then–South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem for a 1993 homicide, has now been charged with six counts connected to the death of his 14-year-old niece, McKenna Wendel. Federal prosecutors say cocaine and other conduct co

Mark Milk walked back into court with a different case in front of him—one tied to a girl who vanished in the middle of the night and was found dead days later.

On Thursday, June 18, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Iowa announced federal charges against Milk. 51. in the death of his 14-year-old niece. McKenna Wendel. Prosecutors say six counts stem from conduct they allege contributed to McKenna’s death. including taking a minor across state lines for criminal sexual activity and cocaine distribution.

The case already had national attention. McKenna’s disappearance from Sioux Falls set off a frantic search. Her body was later found on Thursday, March 19, near a creek in rural South Dakota near Brookings—about an hour north of the home she shared with her grandparents in Sioux Falls.

The new charges land after an earlier moment of mercy. Milk had been serving life in prison for a 1993 homicide when then–South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem granted him clemency in 2023.

At a news conference announcing the charges, Gene Kowel with the FBI Omaha Field Office said the agency is working with Operation Not Forgotten, which prioritizes cases involving violence against Indigenous women and children.

“This is a horrific case,” Kowel said. “There are no cases that we investigate that are more heart-wrenching than the death of a child.” He added: “Far too many children are victimized by kidnapping, sexual abuse and murder.”

At this stage, authorities have released limited details about what happened in McKenna’s final days. Leif Olson, U.S. Attorney with the Northern District of Iowa. declined to share more about the timeline or cause of death. saying the official cause would be revealed at trial with autopsy results. He also declined to elaborate on McKenna’s movements after she went missing.

According to authorities in the months after the search began, McKenna “and others may have traveled” to Iowa, Minnesota and multiple locations in South Dakota after her disappearance.

Court documents, however, indicate cocaine played a significant role in how prosecutors describe her death. The charging documents say McKenna’s death “resulted from the use of the controlled substance (Milk) possessed with intent to distribute and distributed.”

McKenna’s last-known hours and the search that followed

McKenna Wendel was last seen in Sioux Falls—where she lived with her grandparents—around 1:30 a.m. on March 14. She was reported missing on March 15, after police said she was last with a family member but declined to specify who.

Authorities found her body on Thursday, March 19, in a rural area near Brookings. Sioux Falls Lt. Terrance Matia previously told reporters in March that two people led authorities to the location. He did not elaborate further, but he said someone “transported her in a vehicle” to the site.

Even with that discovery, prosecutors and law enforcement have kept key details close. That did not change with the June 18 announcement.

In the charges, prosecutors outline allegations that connect Milk’s conduct to the alleged crime spree that spanned state lines.

What Milk is charged with

Milk, a Sioux Falls resident, is now charged with the following counts connected to McKenna’s death:

— Possession with intent to distribute and distribution of a controlled substance resulting in death
— Possession with intent to distribute and distribution of a controlled substance
— Transportation of a minor across state lines with intent to engage in criminal sexual activity
— Two counts of conspiracy to conceal objects with the intent to impair their availability for an official proceeding (tampering with a witness. victim or informant)
— Concealing objects with the intent to impair their availability for official proceedings.

His initial court date has not been announced.

A previous homicide case shaped the clemency that came later

Milk’s history is anchored in a 1993 homicide in South Dakota.

He was sentenced to life in prison after pleading guilty to manslaughter in the 1993 stabbing death of Shawn Peneaux during a bar fight in downtown Winner, South Dakota. Both men were 19 years old at the time.

Milk claimed self-defense in the case, but the trial court described it as “one of the most vicious, brutal homicides it had ever seen,” according to documents from the Supreme Court of South Dakota.

The court records said Milk “kicked the victim ‘until his head was soft,’ stabbing him in the chest and face and cutting off his right ear.” The court ruled that photographic evidence “clearly” indicated “Milk went well beyond merely defending himself.”

After nearly two decades in prison, Milk sought a commutation. In 2022, he told the South Dakota Board of Pardons and Paroles that he used his work release paychecks to open a bank account for his nieces and nephews’ college educations, saying: “I love my time with them.”

Milk’s parents were quoted at the time as saying they were “accepting of his dark past and support his journey to do better inside the walls,” including mentoring young men in and out of prison. Milk said: “We tend to think we let our families down,” and that it was “nice to make them proud.”

In 2023, Noem commuted Milk’s life sentence based on a positive recommendation from the parole board. The recommendation was “swayed by his work ethic and ascension to a trainer’s post” while he was working for Metal Craft Industries at the prison where he was housed as a maximum-security inmate.

Milk’s attorney, John O’Malley, did not immediately respond to a request for comment Thursday.

Another man is charged alongside Milk

Milk is not the only person facing charges tied to McKenna’s death.

Authorities announced charges against 38-year-old Jon Rogness on Thursday, June 18. Rogness is charged with one count of being an accessory after the fact and one count of tampering with a witness, victim or informant. It is unclear whether he has an attorney.

Rogness has prior criminal history connected to a homicide. In 2007. at age 19. he was charged with first-degree manslaughter for helping his friend. 19-year-old Brandon Brody. in the shooting death of his dad. Brian Brody Sr. Rogness later pleaded guilty but mentally ill to the charge. Court records say the teens fatally shot Brody Sr. in his home, then burned and disposed of his body in a nearby state park.

Rogness was released in 2024 and was on parole at the time of McKenna’s death.

Authorities did not elaborate on how Milk or Rogness know each other or whether they were together on the night of McKenna’s death. They said those details would come out at trial.

Why charges took months—and what law enforcement asked the public to trust

When asked why it took three months to file charges related to McKenna’s death, Sioux Falls Police Chief Thum urged the public to “trust that the collective law enforcement effort is one of justice and to do things the right way and make sure things get to where they need to be.”

Thum said: “In my career, this case will be one I remember the most because it captured the collective force of law enforcement to move forward and pursue this case.” He added: “There has to be a measure of trust and understanding that we’re working on this to the best of our ability.”

McKenna’s mother, Marisa Wendel, told the Argus Leader that her family is “grateful and appreciative of all the department’s work and care in this unreal ordeal … The Wendels are broken.”

The sequence of filings now places new weight on old decisions—clemency granted in 2023 after a 1993 homicide. followed by charges announced June 18 tied to McKenna Wendel’s death. Prosecutors say cocaine was a factor and that allegations include crossing state lines with intent to engage in criminal sexual activity. along with counts aimed at concealing objects that prosecutors say could have affected an official proceeding.

At this stage, the public has been given the framework of the case. What remains unresolved is the full timeline of McKenna’s movements and the precise cause of death—details Olson said will be revealed at trial with autopsy results.

Mark Milk McKenna Wendel Kristi Noem clemency federal charges cocaine distribution Sioux Falls Brookings South Dakota Operation Not Forgotten FBI Omaha Field Office Jon Rogness