Charred Remains Only Identified by Hip Replacement After Victim Was Kidnapped, Stabbed With Machete

A brutal New Mexico kidnapping ended in horror when the victim, locked in his own trunk, was stabbed to death with a machete and set on fire, leaving only his hip replacement to confirm his identity.

Accomplice Kendra Panteah, 37, was sentenced Monday to 18 years in federal prison for her role in the crime.

Back in 2019, Panteah, of Zuni Pueblo, forced the victim, identified in court records as John Doe, into the trunk of his vehicle. She then brought the victim to Gilbert John Jr., and the duo drove him around the Navajo Nation for over 24 hours, authorities said.

When they stopped near Bass Lake, N.M., the victim tried to escape, but John Jr. attacked him with a machete and killed him.

The two abandoned the car for several days before John Jr. towed it to a remote location, doused it in gasoline, and set it ablaze in an attempt to destroy evidence. Investigators later identified the victim only through his hip replacement devices, according to the Department of Justice.

John Jr. pleaded guilty to second-degree murder and was sentenced to 21 years last year.

"There is no parole in the federal system," prosecutors noted. Upon her release, Panteah will serve five years of supervision.