A woman from Shiprock has pleaded guilty to voluntary manslaughter in the death of her daughter. According to court records, Maylene John, 35, who was an enrolled member of the Navajo Nation at the time of the incident, stabbed her 7-year-old daughter in the heart with a knife on October 24, 2022. The child died as a result of the stabbing. Authorities stated that John was under the influence of methamphetamine during the event.
John entered a guilty plea to voluntary manslaughter and now faces up to 15 years in federal prison when sentenced. After serving her sentence, she will be placed under supervised release for three years.
“Acting U.S. Attorney Ryan Ellison and Justin A. Garris, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Albuquerque Field Office, made the announcement today.”
The investigation was conducted by the Farmington Resident Agency of the FBI Albuquerque Field Office with support from both the Navajo Police Department and Department of Criminal Investigations. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Caitlin L. Dillon and Eliot Neal are handling prosecution.