Authorities in North Dakota suspect that a woman’s boyfriend resorted to using tools, ordered via DoorDash, to dismember her body.
Police allege that after taking the life of Isadora Wengel, 21-year-old Joshua Alexander Hite transported her remains across state lines into Minnesota, concealing them in a plastic container, as reported by KVLY.
Wengel was last observed on December 31, with her family reporting her disappearance a week later, according to a previous CrimeOnline report. Although Hite has been apprehended and faces charges of murder and evidence tampering, Wengel’s body remains undiscovered.
In a statement covered by KTVU, the Fargo Police Department remarked, “Based on the ongoing investigation, we have strong reasons to conclude that Isadora Wengel was brutally murdered. Our findings point to Josh Hite, her boyfriend, as the individual responsible for her murder and the subsequent tampering with evidence related to the disposal of her body.”
The police further described the crime as “heinous and diabolical,” suspecting dismemberment to be involved.
According to court records, Hite accessed Wengel’s phone on January 4 and 5, sending unsettling Snapchat images of his apartment to her mother and another recipient, as reported by KVLY.
The documents also say that the state crime lab found blood matching Wengel’s DNA on several items seized from Hite’s apartment and found in surrounding areas, including a bathroom mat, plastic sheeting, medical gauze, and towels.
The documents also said debris found on a 12-inch Sawzall blade found that scene was an “admixed array of human bone, skeletal muscle, and adipose tissue” with a DNA profile that matched Wengel.
Hite claimed to have dropped Wengel off at her apartment on the morning of January 5, but surveillance footage shows that she was not in his vehicle at the time he said he was driving her there.
The documents say a search of Hite’s phone found some disturbing Google searches on January 4, including “home depot Sawzall,” “door dash,” junk removal near me,” and “dumpster.” He also made multiple searches for “how to register for a legal alias.”
When detectives found overflowing dumpsters at Hite’s apartment complex, investigators began searching them for evidence and found a Halloween costume belonging to Wendell, black garbage bags with bloody plastic sheeting, and the Sawzall blade, the court documents say.
They further found a Home Depot receipt dated January 4 for a Sawzall reciprocating saw, clear plastic sheeting, extra large trash bags, black duct tape, and a carbide saw blade. The items ere delivered by DoorDash at about 10:30 a.m. that morning.
According to KTVU, police believe Hite drove to Otter Tail County Minnesota in a Subaru Impreza carrying Wengel’s remains in a 27-gallon storage box and that it was the tote may have been covered with snow or placed in a low-lying area.
“Based on the fact that we know the disposal of her body occurred in extremely cold weather with significant snow on the ground,” police said, “we now find ourselves in the midst of a midwinter thaw, which may reveal her whereabouts.”
