Man fatally stabs mother in her sleep after researching ‘how to kill an elderly person,’ leaves pieces of her dismembered body in tote bins along highway: Police

Troy Michael Mitteness (Dakota County Jail)

Troy Michael Mitteness (Dakota County Jail)

A 56-year-old man in Minnesota allegedly killed his own mother after she learned that he’d been stealing from her, then cut up her remains and dropped tote bins filled with her dismembered body parts in various ditches along the state highway. Troy Michael Mitteness was arrested last week and charged with one count of second-degree murder for slaying his 82-year-old mother, Sandra Viola Mitteness, court documents reviewed by Law&Crime show.

Mitteness was already locked up on charges of theft, mail theft, and check forgery when he was charged with his mother’s murder, records show.

“The facts alleged in this case make it one of the most horrific and disturbing cases I’ve experienced in the course of my 34-year career. I wish to thank the Burnsville Police Department for their doggedness into the investigation of the disappearance of Ms. Mitteness without which this case may have gone unsolved,” Dakota County Attorney Kathy Keena said in an emailed statement to Law&Crime. “My deepest sympathy is extended to the other family members and friends of Ms. Mitteness for their great loss.”

According to a probable cause affidavit, officers with the Burnsville Police Department in late June were investigating reports of mail theft allegedly committed by Mitteness when they learned that some of the proceeds from the alleged theft had been deposited into his mother Sandra Mitteness’ bank account. When detectives tried to speak with her, Mitteness initially told them she was in South Dakota, then claimed she had actually died on June 14, 2022.

When executing a search warrant on Mitteness’ home, police say they recovered an obituary indicating Mitteness’ mother had died on that date, but when they contacted the funeral home they denied ever providing post-mortem care or funeral services for Sandra Mitteness.

Several family members explained to police they had not seen Sandra Mitteness in about a year and believed her dead because that was what Mitteness told them. Mitteness allegedly said that his mother had fallen down the stairs in June 2022 and was hospitalized, but could not be visited because she had COVID-19. He claimed she died shortly after the purported fall, police say.

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