Makala Pendley and her seven kids were reported missing by the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department (IMPD) in February
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NEED TO KNOW
- Makala Pendley, a pregnant mother of seven, was found dead in Mexico four months after she was reported missing
- Her seven children, whose identities are being withheld, have been located in Mexico and are in protective custody
- Pendley’s partner, only identified as Joseph “N”, has been arrested as the main suspect in her death, according to local authorities
A pregnant mother from Indianapolis, who went missing with her seven children four months ago, has been found dead in Mexico.
Makala Pendley's body was found on the morning of Monday, June 8, on a dirt road in the community of Elambó Bajo in the municipality of Zinacantán in the state of Chiapas, according to the local newspaper, El Heraldo de Chiapas.
Jorge Luis Llaven Abarca, the Chiapas state prosecutor, said that initial findings indicated that her cause of death was traumatic brain injury caused by blunt-force trauma, according to the Indianapolis Star and FOX59, which cited a Facebook Live police briefing on Monday.
The broadcast said that the 30-year-old's body had been dumped between eight and 12 hours before it was discovered, per the outlets. El Heraldo de Chiapas reported that state officials confirmed the body was Pendley.
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Llaven Abarca said in an update on Facebook that Pendley's seven children, whose identities are being withheld, have been located and they are all safe and sound in protective custody.
“They are…under the protection of the authorities, while the necessary arrangements are being made with the United States Embassy so that relatives can take custody of them,” the translated post said.
Pendley's partner, only identified as Joseph “N”, has been arrested and is now in the custody of the Public Prosecutor's Office, with Llaven Abarca adding that he was the "main suspect."
Her sister, Maurica Lambert, told FOX59 that Pendley was at least six months pregnant at the time she disappeared.
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“She was a good mom,” Lambert told the outlet. “As moms, you know, we have our bad days, you know what I mean? And she was a good mom, though. She put her kids before she put anything.”
Pendley and her seven children were reported missing by the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department (IMPD) in February, according to the Indianapolis Star.
A representative of the Indianapolis police told the newspaper that the mother and her kids were found in Mexico last month. The email said the children were taken into custody by Mexican authorities, who later released them back to Pendley.
Her cousin Jami Dowdy was asked by the Indianapolis news channel WTHR 13NEWS what she would miss about Pendley.
“Her laughter, everything about Makala, she was just… whenever you seen her, no matter what she was going through, her eyes lit up,” she replied.
Dowdy added: “The biggest thing right now in this moment is getting our children back over here where they belong with their family who loves them and is going to raise them.”
Lambert told FOX59 that her nieces and nephews will be returning to Indianapolis along with their mother's body.
PEOPLE contacted IMPD and the office of Jorge Luis Llaven Abarca for confirmation and further information, but did not immediately receive a response.
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