Also missing from the home Saturday morning was Anderson, who authorities said had been spending the night with the Ertl family, and a pickup truck belonging to the girl’s father. She was last seen about 2 a.m. when she was put to bed.
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Anderson is a family friend and was staying at the residence overnight.
Alayna Ertl was kidnapped by her father’s co-worker.
Along with the BCA, the Cass and Meeker County sheriff’s offices are investigating.
Jeff and Mary Welle, Alayna’s grandparents, also spoke about their fond memories of the 5-year-old. Alayna is described as a 45-pound, white girl with shoulder-length, sandy blonde hair.
In the Ertls’ neighborhood Sunday, sheriff’s deputies knocked on doors as part of their investigation into Alayna’s abduction and killing.
Authorities say the suspect did not try to flee, was not armed and did not resist arrest. The also contacted the family cell phone provider to try and find Anderson.
Anderson occasionally stayed with the family, but was nowhere to be found when the search for little Alayna began, officials said.
A preliminary autopsy by the Ramsey County Medical Examiner’s Office said that the girl died from “homicidal violence”, the statement said. Then, around 5 p.m., authorities found the suspect and Ertl’s body in rural Motley at a home out in the woods. Anderson was eventually found at 4:24 p.m.by K-9 officers in a wooded area about a quarter mile from the cabin at 4926 Iroquois Trail Loop SW. Law enforcement is still looking for information from anyone who saw Anderson or the stolen vehicle on Saturday.
“We are at a loss as to why this happened at this time”, Cruze said.
A Go Fund Me site has been created for Alayna’s parents. The 80-year-old is one of many residents still rebuilding from the tornado that struck Watkins last month.
On social media, Alayna’s mother, Kayla, posted the photo of the child used in AMBER alert, and the comment thread was flooded with prayers and sorrow. A man described as a family friend is in custody. She was a crime, government, and breaking news reporter for the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel and reporter for the Waukesha Freeman newspaper.
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According to the criminal complaint, Ertl’s father and Anderson played softball together on the evening of August 19.
