FBI Surge Brings Charges in 2020 Killing on the Navajo Nation, Family Hopes for Justice

Vangie Randall-Shorty said she felt "unconditional love" the first time she held her son, Zachariah, and that love remains even after his death. On Monday she learned federal authorities had filed charges in the 2020 killing of her 23-year-old son on the Navajo Nation — a development she called both relief and the start of another emotional chapter.

The Justice Department credited this progress to a recent deployment under Operation Not Forgotten, a temporary surge that placed more than 60 additional FBI agents, analysts and support personnel in field offices across 10 states for roughly six months. Teams in locations ranging from Albuquerque and Phoenix to Seattle and Jackson, Mississippi, focused on unsolved violent crimes in Indian Country.

Officials said the intensified effort produced measurable results: 1,123 arrests, recovery of more than 300 weapons, and the identification or location of over 450 child victims. At the start of fiscal 2025, the FBI's Indian Country program was managing roughly 4,300 open investigations, including more than 900 death investigations, about 1,000 child-abuse cases and over 500 investigations into domestic violence and adult sexual assault.

Local loss, national focus

Shorty was last seen at the Journey Inn Motel in Farmington, New Mexico, where he had been with friends making music. Days later, he was found in a field near the Navajo community of Nenahnezad; authorities say he had been shot multiple times. Randall-Shorty, who is also a grandmother, displayed some of her son's artwork and pointed to a treble-clef tattoo she bears as a personal reminder.

The newly unsealed indictments do not explain what prompted the shooting or how Shorty may have been connected to the people charged. Defense attorneys say they have not yet received discovery in the case.

Charges and next steps

Authorities have charged Austin Begay, 31, with first-degree murder. Jaymes Fage, 38, is accused of aiding and abetting in the killing. Both are identified as Navajo men. A third defendant, 40-year-old Joshua Watkins, and the other two also face counts alleging they lied to investigators to conceal the crime.

FBI Director Kash Patel acknowledged the difficulties of policing vast tribal jurisdictions with limited resources and described the operation as "a major step forward" in delivering justice for tribal communities. Advocates and families say the challenge remains: they want sustained, not temporary, federal investment so investigations do not languish once surge personnel return to regular duties.

Randall-Shorty has spent five years keeping her son's case in the public eye — attending town halls, task force meetings, prayer circles and marches to advocate for other families as well as for Zachariah. "My heart is heavy," she said. "But I will continue advocating for Zach and continue being his voice."