Troy Michael Mitteness, 56, has been charged with second-degree murder after he allegedly fatally stabbed his mother, Sandra Mitteness, after researching ‘how to kill an elderly person,’ online, authorities said.
A Minnesota man allegedly killed his mother and then filled tote bins with her cut-up remains before placing them in ditches along the state highways.
Troy Michael Mitteness, 56, has been charged with second-degree murder after he allegedly fatally stabbed his mother, Sandra Mitteness, when she learned he was stealing from her, according to the statement of probable cause.
The 56-year-old was being investigated by police for allegedly committing mail theft, the document said. During the investigation, police wanted to question his 82-year-old mother but Troy said she was away and then later told them that she had died.
Investigators even found an obituary in the home but after contacting the funeral home and talking to other family members, police filed her as a missing person and tried to locate her, according to the probable cause document.
Family members told police that they had not seen Sandra in several months and had thought she was dead, the document said. Troy allegedly told the family that Sandra had fallen and was in the hospital but could not have visitors because she had COVID-19.
After his mother died, family members said Troy was quick to try and give her car to another family member, and even offered it for free, according to the probable cause statement.
After hunting down the missing woman’s vehicle police were able to find blood droplets in the trunk, the document stated. Blood samples were also found in Troy’s home along with a mattress with a large blood stain.
Upon questioning, Troy confessed to killing his mother because she was suspicious of him stealing her money, according to the document. He also allegedly told investigators that he researched how to kill her.
“[Troy] researched online how to kill an elderly person without poison and decided to stab her while she was in her bed,” the document said. “He also researched the best spots to stab someone to make their death quick.”
The man ended up stabbing his mother in the neck with a kitchen knife on June 2, then after she had been dead a few days, he dismembered her body. Her remains were then moved into tote bins and as he drove along the highway he would toss them into the ditch.
Troy is now being held on over $2 million bail at the Dakota County Jail and has been charged with second-degree murder and charges related to mail theft, according to jail records.
