A 25-year-old Minnesota man has been arrested on suspicion of allegedly abducting and murdering his co-worker’s five-year-old daughter Saturday and leaving her body in a swampy, wooded area, authorities confirm to PEOPLE.
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Authorities accuse 26-year-old Zachary Todd Anderson in the death of Alayna Ertl, whose mother discovered her missing from her home in Watkins Saturday morning, about eight hours after putting her to bed.
Anderson is accused of driving Ertl away in her father’s vehicle, with her dad’s cellphone still in the auto, officials said.
Hours later, the GMC truck is found on property owned by the suspect’s family in rural Cass County.
Investigators found Ertl Saturday evening about 80 miles north of her home in Cass County, near Anderson’s family cabin.
Anderson is being held in a jail on suspicion of murder and kidnapping.
“[Anderson] had previously been up to that residence and spent a night here and there – so he’s not a stranger and not new to the residence, but was just there for the night”, Meeker County Sheriff Brian Cruze told reporters Saturday night.
The Watkins, Minnesota home where Alayna Jeanne Ertl was last seen early Saturday morning, August 20, is pictured Monday morning.
That led the BCA to issue an Amber Alert about 1:30 p.m. Saturday, saying authorities believed Anderson had left the house with Alayna in her father’s white pickup truck. She was pronounced dead when police arrived on the scene.
Deputies conducted a neighborhood canvass for Alayna.
Authorities had information that Anderson may have been in Todd County about 6:30 a.m. Saturday, via Matt Ertl’s cell phone left inside the vehicle. “The suspect is a coworker and family friend of the child’s father”.
Authorities say the suspect did not try to flee, was not armed and did not resist arrest. Cruze said a tip from the public led law enforcement to a home in southern Cass County near the town of Motley. The girl’s parents realized she was gone around 8 a.m.
A medical examiner said Alayna died of homicidal violence, according to the statement, which gave no further details about the cause of death. Minnesota court records show only minor traffic violations.
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A GoFundMe page set up by friends to help the Ertls had pledges of more than $14,000 by 10:45 p.m. Sunday.
