INDIANAPOLIS (WXIN) — In a tragic discovery over the weekend, the body of an Indianapolis woman was found in a ditch in a small village in Chiapas, a state in southern Mexico. The family of the deceased, Makala Pendley, confirmed the devastating news.
Makala Pendley, aged 30, met a violent end, according to officials. Her sister, Maurica Lambert, revealed that local law enforcement informed the family that Makala was both raped and brutally beaten before her death.
Adding to the heartbreak, Lambert disclosed that Makala was at least six months pregnant at the time of her death.
“It’s just so surreal, like a nightmare we can’t wake up from,” Lambert expressed, grappling with the loss of her sister.
In a public statement, the local prosecutor indicated that Pendley’s body had been lying at the site where it was found for approximately 8 to 12 hours before being discovered. “The cause of death was determined to be a traumatic brain injury resulting from blunt force trauma,” the prosecutor stated.
The discovery of Pendley’s body set off a desperate search for her seven children, who were supposed to be with her.
On Tuesday afternoon, Lambert said authorities in Mexico found the children and have arrested their father.
Nexstar’s WXIN made attempts to confirm the arrest with the local prosecutor’s office, but messages were not returned.
“I thought it was somebody else. I still feel like it’s someone else,” Lambert said. “It just never would have crossed my mind that it would have been him. I’ve never gotten like that type of like feeling from him or anything.”
Lambert said her sister fled to Mexico with her children and their father earlier this year. She said her sister was fearful her children would be taken away from her.
According to police reports, Pendley and her children were reported missing to Indianapolis authorities in late February.
IMPD said Mexican officials found the children and took custody of them, but later returned them to Pendley.
“She was a good mom,” Lambert said. “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.”
Lambert said her nieces and nephews will be returning to Indianapolis along with their mother’s body.