Troy Mitteness, 56, from Burnsville, Minnesota, is facing second-degree murder charges after prosecutors claim he confirmed to the police that he stabbed and killed his 82-year-old mother, Sandra Mitteness, recently last summer.
The incident began in June with a search for money orders and check thefts from the past year. When The police went to question Sandra, they stumbled upon Troy. His original story of his mother being in South Dakota was soon altered. Police contacted the funeral home that allegedly provided services for Sandra, and they reported having no record of her death. Catching wind of this, other family members spoke up and told officers that Sandra hadn’t been seen in some time.
The police then sought to execute a search warrant for the Mitteness home. During the search, officers discovered blood. Upon further questioning from the police, Troy admitted that he murdered his mother. The criminal complaint reads that Troy “told the detectives he killed the victim in June of 2022, in his Burnsville, Dakota County home, by stabbing her in the neck with a large kitchen knife. After she had been dead for a couple of days, he dismembered her body and placed her body parts in multiple different large plastic tot bins. Troy then drove west toward Appleton, Minnesota, discarding the body parts in ditches along the way.”
Troy’s actions lead to a horrifying reminder of the effects of violence and the prominence of mental health care, but the process began with the police’s search for money orders and check thefts. Troy initially lied about his mother’s whereabouts before he confessed to the murder, which led to his arrest.
The Dakota County Attorney, Kathy Keena, expressed that this was one of the most horrific cases she has ever seen, resulting in Troy being detained and a bail set of $2 million. His first court appearance was on Monday, with a return to court on July 20.