Alayna Jeanne Ertl, the 5-year-old girl kidnapped from her Watkins home Saturday and whose body was later found in a wooded area of Cass County, died as a result of homicidal violence, officials reported. However, he was booked in the jail on suspicion of murder and kidnapping in connection with the child’s death, said CBS Minnesota.
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The St. Cloud Times said Sheriff’s deputies “found the stolen truck on property owned by Anderson’s family in rural Cass County”, and K-9 officers searching the property located Anderson there on Saturday afternoon.
With that, the Watkins, Minnesota neighborhood began another devastating chapter of grief – rallying around the Ertl family as investigators work to uncover what led to the five-year-old girl’s death.
The 25-year-old family friend suspected of abducting and killing the girl was jailed Saturday. He is expected to make his first court appearance in Cass County District Court on Monday or Tuesday. The parents – whose names authorities have not been released – told police that two hours prior, they had realized that she and Anderson, who had stayed overnight, were missing along with Alayna’s father’s GMC Sierra truck and cell phone, according to authorities. KARE 11 reached out to the family of Alayna Ertl who politely declined an interview request.
Ertl’s family has yet to comment on the girl’s death. Her father’s truck was also missing.
Meeker County Sheriff’s Office deputies received a report at 10 a.m. Saturday of a missing child. No one was inside the vehicle or a cabin on the property, the BCA stated.
The suspect then gave authorities enough information for them to discover Ertl’s body in a swampy area, a few hundred yards from the cabin.
Authorities say the suspect did not try to flee, was not armed and did not resist arrest.
Visitation for Alayna Ertl has been set for Thursday from 4 to 8 p.m.at the Ertl Funeral Home in Watkins. Her disappearance led authorities to issue an Amber Alert. She was pronounced dead when police arrived on the scene.
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He does not have a criminal history in Minnesota, other than minor traffic violations, according to online court records. “She will never be forgotten”, another friend wrote on a GoFundMe page created to offset funeral costs.
