'A tragedy': 14-year-old McKenna Wendel found dead in South Dakota
USA TODAY
McKenna Wendel's body was found on Thursday, March 19, in Brookings, South Dakota, roughly an hour north of the home she shared with her grandparents in Sioux Falls.
The case of a missing 14-year-old South Dakota girl found dead more than 50 miles from her home is drawing the attention of federal authorities, internet sleuths and national news media as police remain tight-lipped about what they believe happened to the teen.
McKenna Wendel's body was found on Thursday, March 19, in Brookings, South Dakota, roughly an hour north of the home she shared with her grandparents in Sioux Falls. The Sioux Falls Police Department announced the location of McKenna's body during a news conference on Monday, March 23.
South Dakota Attorney General Marty Jackley, who was at the scene in a rural area when McKenna's body was recovered, told reporters on Monday that he has assured her family "that law enforcement is giving this the attention it deserves."
"This is a 14-year-old little girl," Jackley said. "You can be assured that law enforcement is going to continue to give this the attention it deserves to bring justice to what happened to McKenna."
At times during the news conference, authorities sounded cryptic about whether they believe someone killed McKenna between the time she went missing in the early-morning hours of March 14 and when her body was found a week later.
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