Inset: Bethany Ann Israel and her husband (via GoFundMe). Background: Authorities outside of the home where Israel’s brother allegedly killed and dismembered her (KSTP screenshot)
A 23-year-old man in Minnesota is accused of killing his pregnant 30-year-old sister last week and then dismembering her body, placing pieces of her remains in several different locations because her pregnancy meant she was “no longer innocent.”
Jack Joseph Ball, of Lakeville, Minnesota, was taken into custody and charged with two counts of second-degree intentional but not premeditated murder in the horrific slayings of Bethany Ann Israel and her unborn child, authorities announced.
According to a criminal complaint filed in Dakota County, the siblings’ mother at about 11 p.m. on Thursday, May 23, called 911 and told the dispatcher that she believed her daughter was dead inside of a residence in the 17000 block of Encina Path in Farmington, Minnesota. The house is located about 23 miles south of Minneapolis.
Upon arriving at the scene, the mother told first responders that her daughter went to her brother’s home at about 6 p.m. that evening for dinner but stopped responding to family members’ attempts to reach her. The mother went to her son’s home to check on her daughter, but when she arrived she told police that her son “just tore out of the house.”
When she entered his home, the mother said she found “a substantial amount of blood” and called the police.
“Officers entered the residence and observed a large pool of blood on the kitchen floor under the sink and on the sink cabinets,” police wrote in the affidavit. “Additionally, they observed a bloody saw, hatchet, and large, bloody, knives. As they continued moving through the house, they saw a knife on the living room floor near the staircase that led to the second level. In continuing their search, they located several dismembered body parts believed to be those of (Israel).”
While searching for Ball, officers with the Rosemount and Apple Valley Police Department received a call from a residence who said that “a male was observed on their front door ring camera placing, what appeared to be a body part, on the front step.”
Upon arriving at the second residence, police said they recovered “a dismembered body part” which they believe came from Israel. Ball was located in the backyard of a residence a few doors down from where the body part was recovered.
“Defendant was located near a shed in the backyard of the residence at which his car was parked. Defendant was covered in blood on his head, shirt, arms, legs, and pants. They also observed what appeared to be a self-inflicted knife wound across his throat,” the affidavit states. “Upon searching the area, police found several dismembered body parts they believed to be those of (Israel).”
He was transported to the hospital for treatment
Authorities investigating the crime scene said they found “several journals” in Ball’s handwriting in which he said he was “angry” at his sister because she was “pregnant and ‘no longer innocent.””
“The allegations in this case are deeply disturbing and horrific — words can’t describe what our law enforcement partners encountered during the investigation,” Dakota County Attorney Kathy Keena said in a statement. “My office will work hard to ensure the victims receive justice and will provide the necessary support for the victims’ family.”
Ball appeared before District Court Judge Bryce Ehrman on Tuesday from his hospital room. His bond was set at $1 million with conditions or $2 million without conditions. He is currently scheduled to appear in court again on June 10.
A GoFundMe for the benefit of Israel’s family can be found here. She is survived by her husband, Josh Israel.
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