Indiana man charged with murder in young mother's kidnapping, death

Federal authorities have charged a man with murder in the kidnapping and subsequent death of an Indiana mother of two.

James McGhee, was arrested in Lake County, Indiana, on Wednesday night -- after a days-long manhunt -- in the death of 27-year-old Sidne-Nichole Buchanan, authorities said Wednesday. The FBI had offered up to a $10,000 reward for information on his whereabouts.

Buchanan, of Gary, Indiana, vanished after attending a concert in Tinley Park, Illinois, on July 27 and she was reported missing two days later. Authorities said there's evidence that she may have been abducted, but declined to elaborate.

Federal investigators found Buchanan's body in a forest area near the Illinois-Indian boarder earlier this week, but the medical examiner's office has yet to confirm the victim's identity.

The body was dumped in the Thornton Lansing Road Nature Preserve in Illinois, located about 20 minutes away from the woman's hometown of Gary, Indiana, officials said. Her family mourned her death in a statement posted on Facebook.

"It is with anguish that we inform you about the passing of Sidne-Nichole Buchanan," Kaneka Turner, Buchanan’s mother, said in a Facebook post on Tuesday night. "Sidne was full of ambition, altruism, passion, and love. Sidne was a dynamic person. She cared deeply about her family and friends. Sidne was loved by many."

Buchanan, a mother of two, most recently worked as a dance instructor at the BeachFront Dance School in Gary, according to her family. Her daughter is 11 and her son is 9.

FBI officials have not offered any information about the possible connection between Buchanan and McGhee, 38, nor did they say how they connected him to the murder. Officials said he's known to frequent areas around Gary and Hammond, Indiana, as well as Chicago.

Officers with the FBI's Gang Response Unit, which is handling the case, said Buchanan may have been taken back to Indiana against her will before she was killed, according to ABC's Chicago station WLS.