Suspect in 2021 Navajo Nation Case Faces Sentencing as Family Still Seeks Answers

An elderly woman from the Navajo Nation was carjacked, robbed, beaten, and left on the side of the road in a brutal 2021 attack. The only suspect connected to the case involving 62-year-old Ella Mae Begay, a Native American woman who later vanished, is scheduled to be sentenced on May 8.

According to his plea agreement, Preston Henry Tolth, 26, could face a maximum sentence of five years in federal prison, with credit for the nearly three years he has already served. Tolth pleaded guilty to robbing Begay and stealing her pickup truck on or around June 15, 2021.

A federal grand jury in Phoenix, indicted Tolth on March 14, 2023. According to NBC News, if U.S. District Judge Douglas Rayes approves the plea agreement, the case could come to a close after years marked by limited evidence and no admissible confession from the suspect.

Begay’s family members are expected to urge Judge Rayes to reject the agreement, arguing they do not want Tolth released without first leading investigators to Begay.

According to Tolth’s indictment, he assaulted Begay, causing her serious bodily injury. Prosecutors alleged he stole the victim’s Ford F-150 pickup truck and transported it across state lines “with the intent to cause death or serious bodily injury,” according to a Department of Justice report.

“This indictment is an important first step in determining the truth about what happened to an elderly victim on the Navajo Nation,” U.S. Attorney Gary Restaino said.

Begay, a grandmother and weaver of Navajo-style pictorial rugs, disappeared from her home in Sweetwater, Arizona.

Over the years, her family has organized searches, pushed law enforcement agencies for answers, and even walked across the country to keep public attention focused on her case.

Tolth was identified as a suspect within days of Begay’s disappearance. Navajo Nation police and FBI agents said he had ties to the victim through family connections because his father was allegedly dating Begay’s sister.

During questioning, an FBI agent falsely told Tolth that investigators had recovered Begay’s vehicle and obtained incriminating evidence against him. Tolth then waived his right to remain silent and confessed to stealing Begay’s truck, beating her, and leaving her for dead on the roadside.

However, Judge Rayes later ruled that investigators failed to “scrupulously honor” Tolth’s initial refusal to speak with authorities and suppressed the confession, significantly weakening the prosecution’s case.

Prosecutors ultimately negotiated a plea agreement rather than proceed to trial.

Judge Rayes had previously rejected an earlier plea agreement that would have allowed Tolth to walk free on time served, calling the proposed sentence overly lenient.

Despite the years that have passed, members of the tribal community and Begay’s loved ones continue to hope she will one day be found.