Thursday May 16, 2024
Jessica McCormack (left) and Mahamud Tooxoow Mahamed (right). McCormack was tragically found deceased in 2019 near Noel, Missouri, leading to a series of charges against Mahamed, including kidnapping resulting in death.
Minneapolis (HOL) – A revised indictment has been issued against Mahamud Tooxoow Mahamed, 39, a former resident of Noel, Missouri, concerning the 2019 death of Jessica McCormack, whose body was found in a suitcase by Highway 59. The updated charges include kidnapping resulting in death and stalking resulting in death, broadening the scope of the allegations against him.
Mahamed, a Somali national and a permanent resident of the U.S., was initially indicted in August 2019, shortly after the body of Jessica McCormack was discovered between Lanagan and Noel, Missouri. McCormack had last been seen alive on July 16, 2019, just before her untimely death, which has now been linked directly to Mahamed through both kidnapping and stalking charges.
The case has deeply affected the community, especially since McCormack’s three daughters were briefly missing following her death. The children were eventually found in Des Moines, Iowa, over 200 miles away from their home, under the care of a former associate of Mahamed. An Amber Alert was issued for the children who were located and safely taken into state custody on August 8, 2019. Mahamed is the father of one of McCormack’s three children
The added indictment also revisits charges related to the kidnapping of McCormack’s four-year-old daughter, who Mahamed transported across state lines from Missouri to Iowa without the father’s consent. According to authorities, Mahamed had been a fugitive until his capture in Guatemala in July 2021, following nearly a year on the run.
The arrest and additional charges mark a significant development in a case that has spanned multiple states and involved numerous law enforcement agencies, including the FBI, and police departments from McDonald County, Missouri, Noel, Missouri, Rochester, Minnesota, and Des Moines, Iowa.
Legal proceedings are ongoing, and evidence gathered will soon be presented to a federal trial jury, which will determine Mahamed’s guilt or innocence. The case is currently being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Ami Harshad Miller.