The case of a missing 14-year-old South Dakota girl found dead more than 50 miles from her home is drawing the attention of federal authorities, internet sleuths and national news media as police remain tight-lipped about what they believe happened to the teen.

McKenna Wendel's body was found on Thursday, March 19, in Brookings, South Dakota, roughly an hour north of the home she shared with her grandparents in Sioux Falls. The Sioux Falls Police Department announced the location of McKenna's body during a news conference on Monday, March 23.

South Dakota Attorney General Marty Jackley, who was at the scene in a rural area when McKenna's body was recovered, told reporters on Monday that he has assured her family "that law enforcement is giving this the attention it deserves."

"This is a 14-year-old little girl," Jackley said. "You can be assured that law enforcement is going to continue to give this the attention it deserves to bring justice to what happened to McKenna."

At times during the news conference, authorities sounded cryptic about whether they believe someone killed McKenna between the time she went missing in the early-morning hours of March 14 and when her body was found a week later.

"I have no suspect of any crime yet," Lt. Terrance Matia told reporters on Monday. But when asked why police have said they don't believe the public is in any danger, Matia responded that "there's no one out there assaulting someone."

"We think that all the people that were involved or know her whereabouts we have either in custody on unrelated charges or we know who they are," he said.

Matia acknowledged releasing limited information but said it's "because the whole point of the investigation is for McKenna, and to make sure that if there is a prosecution, it is successfully prosecuted."

Sioux Falls Police Chief Jon Thum said that all the investigators "are very dogged in the pursuit that we have of the job we have in front of us."

"This is a tragedy," he said. "And this is one that'll stick with us for the entirety of our careers."

Here's what we know about the case so far.

McKenna Wendel was last seen in Sioux Falls, where she lived with her grandparents, around 1:30 a.m. on March 14. She was reported missing on March 15, with police Lt. Aaron Nyberg saying she was last known to be with a family member, though he didn't specify who, according to the Sioux Falls Argus Leader, part of the USA TODAY Network.

On Thursday morning, authorities went to a rural area of Brookings and found her body. Two people led authorities to the location, Matia said, though he did not elaborate.

When asked how McKenna may have ended up where her body was found, he said she was "transported in a vehicle."

Authorities have said very little about what they believed happened to McKenna, though Matia said that she "and others may have traveled to other locations" during the time she was gone, including Iowa, Minnesota and multiple locations in South Dakota. Matia declined to elaborate but said his agency is working with the FBI, the U.S. Attorney's Office and the South Dakota Attorney General's Office "in locating where the venue would be if criminal charges were to come in the future."

He said authorities plan to release more information after McKenna's autopsy is finished later this week. The autopsy began on Monday.

Authorities began looking for McKenna's body in the area where it was found on March 17, the Argus Leader reported. It's called the Six-Mile drainage creek just west of Brookings.

Todd Voss, who owns the land where McKenna was found, told the Argus Leader that he gave authorities permission to search the property. After they scoured it for over 24 hours with no result, Voss advised them to look at heavy grass and willows along the drainage ditch near a bridge.

When Voss got the news they had found McKenna, he flew back home from Arizona and started processing the tragedy.

“I sat there on the bridge and was just sick,” Voss told the newspaper. “This is my peaceful place, where I go out and enjoy the wildlife ... This will probably taint it forever. I will be thinking of her every time I walk out there.”

McKenna Rose Wendell, who turned 14 in January, was a big sister to two siblings, made friends easily, and "had a vibrant personality and a zest for life," according to her obituary.

"She loved being outdoors − climbing trees, playing in the park, and riding her bike," her family wrote. "She could often be found digging in the dirt looking for critters or catching tadpoles to bring home as pets."

McKenna loved animals so much that she "spent a great deal of time trying to convince her grandma that they should adopt lizards, frogs, and any other little creature that caught her eye," the obit said. "They finally settled on two hermit crabs and a sheepadoodle named Iris. When her hermit crabs passed away, she held a funeral for them and had her Papa make a cross for their burial."

McKenna, who was Indigenous, lived with grandparents Ralph and Rose Wendel, and the trio often went to Pow-wows together. McKenna particularly "loved the singing and the beautiful sounds of the drums," her obituary said.

McKenna also loved spending time with her best friend Aaliyah, and the two girls who hold sleepovers, make dance videos and watch the sunset together, the obituary said.

"McKenna's sweet, gentle nature and her fun sense of humor will be cherished and greatly missed," the obituary said. "She was the center around which her grandparents' lives revolved. She touched the hearts and lives of all who knew her."

McKenn'a funeral will be held on Thursday, March 26.

Contributing: Angela George, Sioux Falls Argus Leader

Amanda Lee Myers is a senior crime reporter who covers cold case investigations and the death penalty for USA TODAY. Follow her on X at @amandaleeusat.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: 14-year-old McKenna Wendel found dead in South Dakota: 'A tragedy'