A South Dakota man whose life sentence was commuted by then-Gov. Kristi Noem has been charged with the death of his 14-year-old niece.

McKenna Wendel was reported missing in mid-March and found dead days later in a rural area near Brookings, South Dakota, ABC News reported, citing Sioux Falls police. Court documents say the teen died from a drug overdose.

After a monthslong investigation, Wendel’s uncle Mark Milk, 51, was charged with six counts relating to her death, including possession with intent to deliver cocaine that caused Wendel’s death and transportation of a minor with the intent to engage in criminal sexual activity, according to court documents.

A second man, Jon Rogness, 38, faces conspiracy and accessory charges in an alleged attempt to cover up the crimes.

Milk was already in jail on unrelated charges for drunk driving and aggravated eluding charges when Wendel’s body was found. Both men charged in the case are currently in state custody.

“This is a horrific case,” FBI special agent Gene Kowel said. “There are no cases that we investigate that are more heart-wrenching and more tragic than the ones that involve children or the death of a child.”

Milk’s arrest comes after Noem commuted his life sentence in February 2023 for a manslaughter conviction.

In 1994, Milk was sentenced to life in prison for manslaughter after fatally stabbing a man during a fight. The state’s Board of Pardons and Paroles recommended in 2022 that the governor commute his life sentence. Then-Gov. Noem commuted his life sentence to 240 years in 2023, making him eligible for parole, according to ABC.

Milk was on authorities’ radar during the investigation of Wendel’s disappearance. After her body was found, South Dakota Attorney General Marty Jackley was asked about Noem shortening Milk’s sentence. He told reporters at the news conference that the decision was strictly Noem’s.

“I wasn’t attorney general at the time that this commutation process went, but I went through the process,” he said. “Law enforcement provided the reports that indicate what had occurred back with the initial manslaughter, and then at that point, under the constitution, it’s a determination of the governor to make a commutation or parole decision.”

Noem served as governor of South Dakota from 2019 to 2025. She then served in Donald Trump’s cabinet as Homeland Security secretary before being fired in March. Noem is currently serving as the special envoy for “The Shield of the Americas.”