Edgewood, New Mexico — A man charged in connection with the 2021 disappearance of a Navajo woman pleaded guilty Thursday to robbery, the latest turn in a case that has been emblematic of the epidemic of murders and disappearances in Native American communities.
Preston Henry Tolth appeared before a federal judge in Phoenix. Tolth, who has been in custody since 2023, will not serve any additional time in prison if the court accepts the terms of a plea agreement reached with prosecutors.
Prosecutors allege that Tulth assaulted him ella May Begay, She stole her Ford F-150 pickup truck and drove it across state lines. In a plea agreement, he admitted that he punched Begaye in the face several times and left her on the side of the road before selling her truck for money and drugs.
Begay’s case helped bring national attention to the high rate of violence faced by Indigenous people, providing fuel for tribal leaders and victim advocates as they continued to press for law enforcement resources and greater cooperation to investigate across jurisdictional lines.
There have been marches, hearings and congressional hearings in recent years, and federal authorities have sent more investigators and prosecutors to field offices in key locations across the United States in hopes of solving cases and prosecuting perpetrators.
However, Begay was never found and her family is still grieving.
Known in her community as a master rug weaver, Begay lived in Sweetwater, Arizona, a town on the Navajo Nation not far from the Four Corners Monument. Gerald Begay, the eldest of her three children, remembers his mother as someone who was always willing to offer help, even to strangers.
Gerald Begay heard the court proceedings Thursday by phone from Denver. He called the plea deal a “slap on the wrist” for Tolth, and said mistakes made by law enforcement during questioning cost his family a fair outcome.
Gerald Begay called on the authorities to find his mother’s remains.
“She belongs to the community she lives in,” he added. “If I can bring my mother home, I can at least get some closure.”
Timothy Courchane, interim U.S. Attorney for the District of Arizona, declined a request for an interview.
Lawyers representing Tulth did not respond to a request for comment.
Tolth initially pleaded not guilty to charges of assault and auto theft resulting in serious bodily injury — charges that carry maximum penalties of 10 and 25 years in prison, respectively.
In August 2025, the Federal Court of Appeal ruled that Tolth’s confession was inadmissible in court because the officers did not respect his decision to stop speaking during interrogation, and instead convinced him to waive his right to remain silent.
His sentencing hearing is scheduled for April 9 in Phoenix.