Pregnant mum who went missing with her seven children found dead by side of road

Pregnant mum who went missing with her seven children found dead by side of road The body of Makala Pendley was found on a dirt road after her and her seven children were reported as missing back in February - her partner is being held in custody A pregnant mum who went missing with her seven children four months ago has been found dead by the side of the road. The body of Makala Pendley was found on a dirt road on June 8, four months after she was first reported as missing. Initial findings indicated her cause of death was a traumatic brain injury caused by blunt-force trauma. Her body is understood to have dumped between eight and 12 hours before it was discovered by officials. Her sister, Maurica Lambert, said Makala told local outlets that she was at least six months pregnant at the time she vanished. The 30-year-old woman and her children were reported missing by the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department, in Indiana, in February. Her body was found in the Zanicantan area of the Mexican state of Chiapas more than 2,000 miles away. Chipas state prosecutor Jorge Luis Llaven Abarca said in a statement: "They (the children) are...under the protection of the authorities, while the necessary arrangements are being made with the United States Embassy so that relatives can take custody of them." Pendley's partner, who has only been identified as Joseph "N," has been arrested and is being held in custody. Abarca said he was the main suspect in the case. "She was a good mom," Maurica told Fox59. "As moms, you know, we have our bad days, you know what I mean? And she was a good mom, though. She put her kids before she put anything." An Indianapolis spokesperson told the Indianapolis Star said the children were taken into custody by Mexican authorities after being found last month before being released to Makala. Her cousin Jami Dowdy spoke with WTHR 13News about the tragic case and what she would miss about her. She said: "Her laughter, everything about Makala, she was just…whenever you seen her, no matter what she was going through, her eyes lit up. The biggest thing right now in this moment is getting our children back over here where they belong with their family who loves them and is going to raise them." Lambert told Fox59 that her nieces and nephews will return to Indianapolis along with their mother's body.