A 28-year-old man has been federally charged with kidnapping and murder after he allegedly stole a truck with a 5-year-old girl inside and crashed the vehicle, killing the kidnapped child.
Qwana McCook, of Blanding — a member of the Ute Mountain Ute Tribe — was charged in U.S. District Court with first-degree murder, kidnapping and robbery while within Indian country, as major crimes within Indian country are prosecuted in federal court. According to the charges, the crimes took place within the boundaries of the Ute Mountain Ute reservation and the Navajo Nation in the District of Utah.
On May 8, a woman started her truck in White Mesa, which is between Blanding and Bluff in San Juan County. According to the charges, she put her two children inside the vehicle and went back into the house to say goodbye to her sister.
Soon after, her 8-year-old son ran into the house and said, “Momma, the guys are taking the truck,” charging documents state.
The woman went outside and saw one man — later identified as McCook — in the driver’s seat and a second man in the front passenger’s seat. She told police she said, “Hey, [what] you doing? Lilly is back there!”
According to the charges, McCook hit the woman in the face, knocking her to the ground, and drove away with the girl in the back seat.
More than two hours later, as police were preparing to issue an Amber Alert, the truck was located — it had crashed and rolled near Cahone Mesa on the Navajo Nation. The 5-year-old girl had been ejected from the truck, according to police, and was pronounced dead at the scene.
McCook and the other man had left the scene. Charges were filed against them in May, but were sealed until last week. McCook was arrested in New Mexico on May 27.
The second man pleaded guilty to a federal kidnapping charge. According to police, he failed to notify them about the crime, concealed the abduction and put gasoline in McCook’s vehicle so he could leave the area. He is behind held without bail pending sentencing.
McCook is also being held without bail pending trial.
