KC Reporter

Mahamud Tooxoow Mahamed, a 39-year-old Somali national and former resident of Noel, Missouri, has been indicted on additional charges relating to a murder case from 2019. The charges were filed in a three-count superseding indictment returned by a federal grand jury in Springfield, replacing the original indictment from August 20, 2019.

The superseding indictment alleges that Mahamed kidnapped Jessica McCormack of Noel, Mo., referred to as "J.M." in court documents, resulting in her death in July 2019. It also alleges that Mahamed stalked McCormack from April 1 to July 17, 2019, which led to her death. The indictment includes the original charge of kidnapping a minor victim and transporting her from Missouri to Iowa.

Following his initial indictment in 2019, Mahamed evaded justice for nearly a year until he was arrested in Guatemala on July 27, 2021. He has remained in federal custody since his arrest.

According to an affidavit supporting the original federal criminal complaint, McCormack’s body was discovered near Missouri Highway 59 between Lanagan and Noel on July 29, 2019. The last time she was seen alive was when law enforcement officers responded to a call at her home on July 16, where Mahamed and McCormack's three daughters were also present.

After McCormack's body was found and identified, her children could not be located leading to an Amber Alert being issued. They were later found at a residence in Des Moines, Iowa on August 8 and taken into state custody. Investigators confirmed with the father of McCormack’s oldest child that Mahamed did not have his consent to take the child outside the state of Missouri.

It is important to note that these charges are accusations only; evidence supporting them must be presented before a federal trial jury who will determine guilt or innocence.

This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Ami Harshad Miller and investigated by the FBI, the McDonald County Sheriff’s Department, the Noel Marshal’s Office, the Rochester Police Department, and the Des Moines Police Department.