Man who confessed to robbing missing Navajo elder released from prison five years after her disappearance
Exactly five years after Navajo elder Ella Mae Begay vanished from her remote home in Sweetwater, Arizona, the man who admitted to assaulting her and stealing her vehicle has been released from federal prison.
Preston Tolth, who pleaded guilty to robbing the 62-year-old grandmother, received a five-year prison sentence on May 8. However, due to time-served credits accrued while held on separate state charges that were eventually dismissed, along with credit for good behavior, he was released from custody on Monday.
The early release deeply shocked Begay's relatives, who had anticipated Tolth remaining imprisoned until at least 2028. Her eldest son, Gerald Begay, learned of the release on the very anniversary of his mother's disappearance, calling the situation an insult to the family.
Ella Mae Begay was a highly regarded traditional Navajo rug weaver. Her case became a national symbol for the ongoing crisis of missing and murdered Indigenous people, drawing intense community search efforts and pressure on law enforcement agencies.
Officials verified that Tolth's abbreviated incarceration complied with federal sentencing statutes, which routinely calculate pre-sentencing detention toward final terms. Legal experts noted that federal prisons frequently utilize these statutory credits to manage overcrowding and lower recidivism rates, but criticized the system's failure to notify the victim's family, leaving grieving individuals uninformed.
The incident dates back to the early morning of June 15, 2021, when a break-in was reported near Begay's residence. While responding officers noted her house was locked, they did not physically verify her well-being inside. She was formally reported missing nine hours later.
Family members initially directed investigators toward Tolth, who subsequently confessed during interrogations to stealing Begay's truck with her inside, striking her repeatedly, and abandoning her on a roadside. He admitted the severe physical assault could have been fatal. However, a federal judge later threw out the confession because investigators failed to properly respect Tolth’s constitutional right to refuse questioning. Lacking the admissible confession, federal prosecutors negotiated a plea agreement rather than proceeding to a trial.
Legal documentation from the case highlights Tolth's history of homelessness, neglect, and early substance abuse. His release conditions mandate a six-month stay at a residential reentry center, mandatory mental health treatment, and three years of supervised release.
Despite Tolth's defense claims that he made a good-faith attempt to guide authorities to where he left Begay, her remains have never been found. Attorneys advocating for the family emphasized that while Begay's case received a rare level of national attention, its outcome remains a frustrating illustration of systemic failures regarding justice for Indigenous victims. To mark the somber anniversary, Begay's niece completed a 100-mile walk to the Navajo Nation capital carrying one of her aunt's custom weavings, only to learn of Tolth's release that same evening.
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