Tolth Sentenced to 5 Years in Begay Disappearance

U.S. District Judge Douglas Rayes sentenced Preston Henry Tolth to five years in federal prison on Friday in Phoenix for his role in the 2021 disappearance of Navajo elder Ella Mae Begay from her home in Sweetwater, Arizona, on the Navajo Nation. Tolth, the only person charged in the unsolved case, received credit for three years already served under a plea agreement in which he admitted robbing the 62-year-old Begay and driving away in her pickup truck.

Prosecutors dropped an assault charge and agreed not to pursue further charges if Begay's case develops further. U.S. Attorney Tracy Van Buskirk described the deal as the government's best option given the lack of physical evidence after a confession from Tolth was suppressed. The judge had previously rejected a more lenient plea that would have released Tolth after his time served, calling it excessive.

Begay, a beloved grandmother of nine and skilled weaver of Navajo-style pictorial rugs, vanished in June 2021. Navajo Nation police and FBI agents quickly identified Tolth, whose father had been dating Begay's sister, as a suspect. He initially denied involvement but later confessed during interrogation to stealing her truck,...