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 Copyright © 2016 Albuquerque Journal 
 
 When 11-year-old Ashlynne Mike and her 9-year-old brother stepped into a stranger’s van after being dropped off by a school bus Monday, they likely believed they were heading to see a movie. 
 
 The stranger, it seems, had a more sinister plan. 
 
 According to authorities, he abducted the children, and in a crime that shocked the entire Navajo Nation and surrounding communities, killed Ashlynne, leaving her body along a desolate dirt road that cuts through the desert near the towering rock monument outside the town of Shiprock. 
 
 Late Tuesday, the FBI arrested 27-year-old Tom Begaye of Waterflow, N.M., in connection with Ashlynne’s abduction and death – putting an end to a massive manhunt and easing fears that rippled through the community regarding all children’s safety. 
 
 FBI spokesman Frank Fisher wouldn’t say why authorities believe Begaye is connected to the crime. He has a court hearing scheduled for today. 
 
 Cheers erupted among hundreds at a vigil being held Tuesday evening for Ashlynne when word of his arrest was announced. Many said the abduction hit close to home. 
 
 A friend of Ashlynne’s brother Ian Mike avoided being abducted by the suspect. 
 
 That boy’s father, Shawn Mike, said his son was asked to join the children in the stranger’s van Monday afternoon but declined. The boy said he saw Ashlynne inside the van smiling as she waved goodbye. 
 
 “You would not believe how thankful I am,” Shawn Mike said Tuesday holding back tears. “Thank God that he had the wisdom to just say no. I held him so close last night.” 
 
 Ashlynne’s neighbor Nicole Manuelito said she saw the girl playing with some other children at the bus stop Monday afternoon. She said she honked and the kids waved at her. The next time she passed by the bus stop she said Ashlynne’s bag was lying on the ground but she was gone. 
 
 Manuelito said a man she believes was the suspect came to her house around 4 p.m. and talked briefly to her 13-year-old son and her uncle. She said her uncle asked him his name but he wouldn’t answer. Then she said the man drove off in his maroon van. 
 
 As the small community of Fruitland began to process the tragedy Tuesday, authorities launched a massive search for the suspect who was last seen driving a maroon minivan with sliding doors, a luggage rack on top and no hubcaps on the vehicle’s wheels. 
 
 The man was described as a light-skinned Native American man in his 20s or 30s with short, dark hair, a teardrop tattoo under his left eye and pierced ears. Authorities later announced the search was over after the arrest of Begaye. 
 
 Ashlynne and Ian Mike were on a school bus from Ojo Amarillo elementary school that dropped them off at their regular stop in Lower Fruitland Monday afternoon, according to Shawn Mike. 
 
 Shawn Mike’s son got off at the next stop and went for a bike ride, which is when the maroon van pulled up to him. The male driver asked Shawn Mike’s son if he wanted to go to the movies with them, and when the boy said no, tried to give him a ride home. The boy still refused and the driver left, with Ashlynne smiling and waving out the window. 
 
 What happened next is unclear. 
 
 Family members say Ian Mike either escaped or was released somewhere near Red Valley just across the state line Monday evening. A passing driver spotted Ian Mike and took him to the Shiprock Police Department, according to authorities. 
 
 He told his family members the abductor took Ashlynne to the Shiprock pinnacle and took her over a hill, then came back with her jacket. 
 
 Hundreds of volunteers 
 
 Volunteers tried to look for her Monday night, but their efforts were called off by law enforcement officers, who continued to comb the area. On Tuesday morning, hundreds of volunteers showed up to look for Ashlynne. 
 
 One of those searchers was Graham Beyale, 26, who was driving back to the Four Corners area from the Gathering of the Nations in Albuquerque when he heard his friend’s girlfriend’s sister was missing. 
 
 He said he immediately wanted to help because the abduction hit close to home. 
 
 “In Navajo culture there’s this concept of kinship,” Beyale said. “I didn’t know her personally, but the drive I had to help try and find her would basically be the same drive I would have with my own little sister.” 
 
 He said a group of searchers on ATVs found the girl’s body around noon. 
 
 “It was really difficult. The picture they put out looks like how my younger sister looked when she was younger,” he said. “It was really tough.” 
 
 Shawn Mike said the children were living with their father, Gary, who loves them deeply. 
 
 “I just can’t imagine what the individual said or did to lure them into the vehicle,” Shawn Mike said. “I know Gary, he’s a good father and taught his kids well and really cares and loves his kids.” 
 
 He spoke with Gary on Monday night and Tuesday morning before Ashlynne’s body was found and he seemed very hopeful. After searchers found the body, he was wrecked. 
 
 “He was in no condition to talk. He was freaking out, very emotional, who wouldn’t be,” Shawn Mike said. 
 
 Wakeup call 
 
 Shawn Mike said the crime is a wakeup call for the community. 
 
 “I think it’s really important to remind our children everywhere not to talk to strangers,” he said. “And most importantly to tell them that we love them.” 
 
 In response to the abduction, the Central Consolidated School District announced Tuesday it wouldn’t drop children off at a bus stop without a parent there. If a parent wasn’t there, the children would be taken back to the school, said CCSD spokesman James Preminger. 
 
 He said that would remain in effect at least until the suspect was caught. It’s unclear if that will continue after Begaye’s arrest. 
 
 Superintendent Dr. Colleen Bowman issued a statement Tuesday saying students and staff members at Ashlynne’s school are devastated by her death. 
 
 “Our hearts are broken. Our students are family,” Bowman said. “Counselors from all of our Kirtland schools were at Ojo Amarillo Elementary Tuesday to speak with the students and staff about her passing.” 
 
 Bowman asked that students and the community stay strong when dealing with the tragedy. 
 
 “I also ask our parents and staff to tell their children how much they love them,” Bowman said. “It is important to honor Ashlynne’s memory and for our students, parents, community members, and staff to continue to move forward with their lives.” 
 
 ‘Tears are falling’ 
 
 Stanley Wauneka, Chapter Manager for the San Juan Chapter House, said everyone is shocked over the crime. 
 
 “We never expected anything like this to happen in our small community here,” Wauneka said. “This morning when we heard the Amber Alert we were just praying and hoping we would find her. But we never thought we would find her dead somewhere.” 
 
 It’s unclear why the Amber Alert wasn’t sent out sooner. The abduction happened around 4 p.m. and the alert didn’t go out until around 2:30 a.m. the next morning. 
 
 Shawn Mike said he spoke with young Ian Mike Tuesday morning. 
 
 “I told him God was with him and that’s how he managed to get free, and to just keep praying for his sister,” he said. “I can’t believe how anyone would be so cruel.” 
 
 The girl’s family took to Facebook to express their grief. 
 
 “Tears are falling,” the girl’s mom posted soon after the child’s body was found. “Mommy loves and misses you my sweet little angel.” 
 
 Later in the day, she posted again. “Mommy will never stop loving you… sending hugs to heaven.” 
 
 Journal staff writer Elise Kaplan contributed to this report ||||| This undated photo provided by the New Mexico State Police shows Ashlynne Mike. The air and ground search for the abducted Navajo girl ended tragically Tuesday, May 3, 2016, when authorities found the... (Associated Press) 
 
 This undated photo provided by the New Mexico State Police shows Ashlynne Mike. The air and ground search for the abducted Navajo girl ended tragically Tuesday, May 3, 2016, when authorities found the 11-year-old dead near the towering rock formation that gives the New Mexico town of Shiprock its name.... (Associated Press) 
 
 SHIPROCK, N.M. (AP) — The stranger walked with 11-year-old Ashlynne Mike into the hills of a remote area of the Navajo Nation known for its breathtaking views and the monolithic rock outcropping that stands as a beacon for miles. 
 
 As the sun faded, the stranger returned alone with a crowbar tucked in his jacket; the girl was nowhere to be seen. Her body was found hours later. 
 
 But as he came back, her distraught and scared 9-year-old brother started to run and kept running for more than two miles toward the lights he could see on the highway in the distance until a passer-by scooped him up and took him to police. 
 
 "He was so tired and just crying and crying for his sister. It was really hard for the FBI to get any information from him," said the children's aunt, Darrell Foster-Joe, as she recounted what the boy eventually told authorities. 
 
 The siblings were abducted after being dropped off at a bus stop after school about a quarter-mile from their home Monday afternoon. A man in a van offered to take them to watch a movie. The brother and another boy — a relative of the children — said no, but Ashlynne was somehow lured into the van. 
 
 Not wanting his sister to go alone, her brother jumped in too. 
 
 The abduction sparked a frantic air and ground search. But the immediate search was focused on the opposite side of the highway from where authorities needed to be looking. 
 
 On Tuesday, Ashlynne's body was found after about 100 people from the community turned out to help look for her. 
 
 A 27-year-old man identified as Tom Begaye, of Waterflow, New Mexico, was arrested hours later in connection with the girl's death and disappearance, FBI spokesman Frank Fisher said. 
 
 Shawn Mike, Ashlynne's cousin and the father of the boy who stayed behind, said he didn't believe the family knew Begaye. Mike said the man who took Ashlynne and her brother tried twice to get his son to get into the vehicle with the other children. 
 
 "My son said he just waved," Shawn Mike said. "He said the vehicle just sped off, and as it was driving off he just saw Ashlynne waving toward him." 
 
 Heartbroken, the community paused Tuesday night for a moment of silence. Hundreds of residents packed the Navajo Nation's San Juan Chapter House, a tiny community hall south of Shiprock, while hundreds more stood outside of the building in support of Ashlynne's family. Her father sat silently at the front of the room, listening as the girl's principal remembered her as a kind child who was a part of the school band, and local leaders offered condolences. 
 
 Ashlynne, who played xylophone, had performed just last week, said her cousin Shawn Mike. 
 
 "As a dad, you would like to see your daughter grow up and see her have a family of her own one day. And unfortunately, Ashlynne won't experience any of this," he told The Associated Press after the vigil. 
 
 Residents also gathered for a vigil in nearby Shiprock, the largest town on the Navajo Nation. 
 
 Federal authorities remained tightlipped about their investigation, even after Begaye's arrest. He is expected to appear before U.S. Magistrate Judge B. Paul Briones in Farmington on Wednesday, according to the FBI. 
 
 It's unclear how long it could take for medical investigators to determine the cause of the girl's death. 
 
 Tips flooded in from across the reservation that spans parts of New Mexico, Arizona and Utah as well as the San Juan Chapter where Ashlynne lived. 
 
 Authorities described the kidnapper as having a teardrop tattoo under his left eye and two earrings. He drove a maroon van with a luggage rack but no hubcaps. 
 
 A fifth-grader, Ashlynne attended Ojo Amarillo Elementary School in Fruitland, New Mexico. Her aunt described her as a fun-loving, quiet girl. She sometimes visited Foster-Joe at her home in nearby Hogback to play games with her cousins. 
 
 An Amber Alert for Ashlynne was issued around 2:30 a.m. Tuesday. It wasn't clear why it took hours for authorities to get word out about the abduction, and FBI Special Agent in Charge Terry Wade declined to answer related questions during a news conference. 
 
 The search for the girl included federal, tribal, state and county officers who used all-terrain vehicles and a K-9 unit from Farmington in the search on the ground. A New Mexico State Police helicopter searched by air. 
 
 Meanwhile, community members who heard about the abduction via radio and social media congregated to join in the search Moday around 9 p.m. and again Tuesday morning, said Graham Binaal, a Shiprock resident who helped spread the word about the search. 
 
 "Once someone put it out there that there was this missing child, then the word just spread from there," he said. 
 
 New Mexico Gov. Susana Martinez joined Navajo President Russell Begaye in the call for prayers for the family. 
 
 ___ 
 
 Fonseca reported from Flagstaff, Arizona. Susan Montoya Bryan contributed to this report from Albuquerque, New Mexico.
– The Navajo Nation has been shaken by the nightmarish murder of an 11-year-old girl who was kidnapped along with her 9-year-old brother. Authorities say the body of Ashlynne Mike was found in a remote area near the Shiprock monument in northwest New Mexico on Tuesday, the day after a stranger lured her and her brother into his van after school, the Arizona Republic reports. Her brother told authorities Monday evening that the man walked into the hills with his sister and returned alone. He ran toward a highway when he saw the man coming back and was eventually picked up by somebody who took him to police. A frantic search for Ashlynne followed. "He was so tired and just crying and crying for his sister. It was really hard for the FBI to get any information from him," the boy's aunt tells the AP. On Tuesday night, hours after the girl's body was found, the FBI announced that Tom Begaye, 27, had been arrested in connection with the murder. Relatives say the family did not know Begaye, who allegedly tried to get other children into his van, saying he wanted to take them to a movie. Shawn Mike, father of a boy who refused to get into the suspect's van, tells the Albuquerque Journal that the siblings lived with their father, Gary. "I just can't imagine what the individual said or did to lure them into the vehicle," he says. "I know Gary, he's a good father and taught his kids well." He says the horrific killing should teach the community two things: "I think it's really important to remind our children everywhere not to talk to strangers," he says. "And most importantly to tell them that we love them."