Minn. man allegedly killed, dismembered 82-year-old mother after spending all of her money
07/13/2023 4:01 pm PDT
BURNSVILLE, Minn. (TCD) -- A 56-year-old man is in custody for allegedly fatally stabbing and dismembering his mother last year after reportedly spending all her money.
According to a probable cause statement, in June, Burnsville Police Department investigators began looking into alleged mail theft committed by Troy Mitteness because some of the money taken was deposited into his mother’s account. Police wanted to speak with his mother, Sandra Mitteness, and Troy first told them she was in South Dakota. Then, he claimed she died June 14, 2022.
Police conducted a search at Troy Mitteness' home and found Sandra’s obituary, which stated she died June 14, 2022. However, when police spoke with the funeral home cited in the obituary, the funeral director "denied ever providing postmortem care or funeral-related services to the victim at any time."
None of Sandra Mitteness' family or friends had seen her in several months either, so Burnsville Police opened a missing person investigation into her whereabouts.
Troy Mitteness allegedly told his family his mother fell down the stairs in June 2022 and was in the hospital. When the family asked about visiting, he allegedly claimed she could not receive visitors because she contracted COVID-19.
After her apparent death, Troy sold his mother’s car to a relative, who said he wanted to "get rid of the victim’s car quickly, even offering it for free."
The relative allowed police to search the car, and investigators reportedly found traces of blood in the trunk.
On July 6, Burnsville Police officers executed a search warrant at Troy Mitteness' home. In the process, they reportedly found an "indication of the presence of blood" on the stairs and mattress.
While speaking with police, Mitteness allegedly admitted to killing his mother "because he had spent all of her money, and she was becoming suspicious and wanted to see her finances."
Court records show Mitteness pleaded guilty to a theft charge in June 2021.
Prior to allegedly killing his mother, the probable cause statement says Mitteness "researched online how to kill an elderly person without poison and decided to stab her while she was in bed. He also researched the best spots to stab someone to make their death quick and painless."
He purportedly stabbed his mother to death with a kitchen knife at his home June 2, 2022. He then dismembered her body several days later and "placed her body parts in multiple different large plastic tote bins that he had in his garage."
Mitteness allegedly drove from Burnsville to Appleton and "discarded parts of the victim’s body by throwing them in the ditch as he drove."
He discarded two plastic totes behind a dumpster at an abandoned rest stop, according to the affidavit. The owners of the property, however, found the totes and put them in a burn pile.
He’s being held at the Dakota County Jail on charges of mail theft, aggravated forgery, and second-degree murder.
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