Suspect in kidnapping of dead Missouri woman’s kids caught

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KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) – A man who fled the country after his girlfriend’s body was found in a suitcase in southwest Missouri has been recaptured and returned to the U.S., federal authorities said.

Mahamud Tooxoow Mahamed, 39, was indicted two years ago in the kidnapping of the 4-year-old daughter of Jessica McCormack, whose body was found July 29, 2019, on a hill along Highway 59 near Noel.

He was arrested recently in Guatemala and made his first court appearance Wednesday in U.S. District Court in Kansas City, The Joplin Globe reported.

Mahemed, formerly of Noel, is not charged in McCormack’s death. He is the father of one of McCormack’s three children, who were found a few days after her death in Des Moines, Iowa, staying with a friend of his.

The woman told authorities at the time that Mahemed arrived at her home on Aug. 5, 2019, but left three days later, leaving behind the girls, who were 4 years old, 20 months old and 10 months old at the time.

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