Makala Pendley’s relatives say unexplained calls have complicated efforts to return her body and her seven children to the United States.
INDIANAPOLIS, IN — The family of Makala Pendley, a pregnant Indianapolis mother found dead in southern Mexico, says strange phone calls have added new distress as relatives work to bring her body home and reunite her seven children with family.
Pendley, 30, was found dead June 8 on a dirt road in Elambó Bajo, a community in Zinacantán, Chiapas. Mexican authorities have described the case as a femicide investigation and said her partner, Joseph Jude Butler Jr., has been arrested. Her children, who had been the subject of a missing persons case in Indianapolis, were found alive and placed in protective custody while officials work on their return.
Pendley and her seven children were reported missing in February after they disappeared from Indianapolis. Family members said she later turned up in Mexico with the children and Butler. Relatives said they had feared for months that something was wrong, then learned this week that Pendley had been killed. Her sister, Jennifer Lambert, said in a fundraiser that Pendley was “a mother before anything” and had spent much of her adult life raising her children. The children range from an infant to a 12-year-old, according to family accounts and police reports.
The family now says someone has been calling and pressing relatives to bury Pendley immediately in Mexico. Relatives have not publicly identified the caller, and it was not clear whether the calls are part of the criminal investigation, a misunderstanding tied to funeral arrangements or something else. The family said the calls have come as they try to move through Mexican and U.S. procedures for returning Pendley’s remains. Officials have not announced whether the calls are being investigated as threats, fraud or evidence in the case.
Chiapas State Attorney General Jorge Luis Llaven Abarca said preliminary findings showed Pendley died from a traumatic brain injury caused by blunt force trauma. Authorities said her body had been left in the area eight to 12 hours before it was found. Mexican officials said the children were located in San Cristóbal de las Casas and were in good health. U.S. officials have been involved in coordinating next steps for the children, including possible repatriation to relatives in the United States.
Indianapolis police previously said Pendley and the children had been located in Mexico before her death. Authorities said the children were taken into custody by Mexican officials at one point and later released back to Pendley. The case drew wider attention because the missing children crossed an international border and because Pendley was pregnant when she left Indiana. Family members said she was six to seven months pregnant when she died. It was not immediately clear whether any additional suspects are being sought.
Mexican authorities have identified Butler as the main suspect. Officials in Chiapas said they are pursuing a severe penalty under femicide laws, with prosecutors pointing to a possible maximum sentence of 100 years. Butler also has been described by authorities as having a criminal history in the United States, including an active warrant in Alaska. Court and police records cited in public reports describe earlier allegations involving violence and instability in the relationship, though the full record of the Mexican case has not been released.
Relatives have described Pendley as devoted to her children and said her death has left the family trying to handle grief, paperwork and child custody issues at the same time. Lambert wrote that the family was shocked and shattered by the killing. Other relatives said they are focused on getting Pendley home and making sure the children are with safe family members. The strange calls, they said, have deepened their fear and confusion during an already difficult process.
The case remains active in Mexico, where Butler is in custody and prosecutors are continuing their investigation. Pendley’s family is waiting for the return of her body and for final arrangements involving the children. The next major step is expected to center on repatriation and formal court action in Chiapas.
Author note: Last updated June 14, 2026.