Authorities in Minnesota confirmed that the human remains found in a landfill last week are those of a missing Minnesota woman.
The Ramsey County Medical Examiner’s Office on Monday identified the remains as those of 19-year-old Dystynee Avery.
Avery was last seen on April 3. Her mother, Doreen, alerted authorities after she got worried when she hadn’t heard from her daughter who usually calls every day to check-in.
“It’s not like her not to call me, not like her not to blow up my phone or blow up her dad’s phone,” Doreen said, reported TooFab.
Ethan Broad, 27, of Moorhead, was charged on April 20 in Clay County court with second-degree murder. Avery had been staying with Broad, her family said, adding that they considered Broad a friend of Avery and a good guy.
Authorities said Broad admitted to killing and dismembering Avery’s body and placing the body parts in dumpsters near his apartment.
Broad initially claimed someone else hit Avery with a lead pipe and slit her throat in the bathroom of his apartment. He later admitted to killing her himself, but claimed it was out of self-defense during an argument they had at the apartment, The Associated Press reported.
Broad is currently held on a $1 million bond at Clay County Jail. He faces up to 40 years in prison if convicted.
Avery’s sister, Valarie Parker, thanked everyone who worked day-in and day-out on her sister’s case. “I’m glad that we have justice, and I’m glad that she can be able to come home and be laid to rest the proper way,” she told the Inforum.
Murder Cover-Up
Three additional suspects who are believed to be connected to the murder have also been arrested.
Brandon Everett Leroy Erbstoesser, 33, was arrested on April 24 and charged with two felony counts of second-degree aiding an offender with murder, prosecutors said in court documents.
“Erbstoesser admitted that he advised Broad he should report the victim as missing, tell her family she ran away, hide or destroy her property and refrain from any electronic communication regarding the incident,” according to a complaint reported by the Inforum.
Two other suspects, identified as 22-year-old David Marvin Erno and 26-year-old Andrea Payne, both of Moorhead were arrested on April 21. Both suspects face one count of aiding in murder.
Payne initially told police she was not involved in the murder, but later acknowledged she was part of the cover-up. She was living together with Broad and Avery at the time of the murder.
Both Payne and Erno are currently being held at the Clay County Jail on a $500,000 bail.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.