Days after confirming that human remains found in the search for a missing Wisconsin couple belonged to Bart Halderson, police announced on Thursday that a second body has been found.
Bart and Krista Halderson had been missing since the July 4th holiday weekend, when their son claimed they were going to their cabin with another couple. The son, 23-year-old Chandler Halderson, reported his parents missing on July 7; but soon became a person of interest in their disappearance. He was initially taken into custody on suspicion of providing a false report in a kidnapping investigation.
On Thursday, as WMTV reports, Chandler Halderson was officially charged with first-degree murder in the death of his father, who was 50. Investigators reportedly believe Bart was fatally shot and then dismembered, before his body parts were found in the rural area of Cottage Grove. Initial reports about that discovery indicated that investigators initially believed they had found two bodies at that location; it is unclear if the dismembered state of the remain may have misled investigators.
READ MORE: Missing Wisconsin father found dismembered; wife remains missing and son is in jail
WMTV obtained a criminal complaint showing that investigators discovered a“ portion of unidentified human remains” along the Wisconsin River near the Town of Roxbury. Chandler Halderson was reportedly seen by witnesses in both that and the area where his father’s remains were found.
The Dane County Sheriff held a press conference on Thursday confirming the discovery of additional remains. In response to a reporter question about whether Chandler Halderson’s girlfriend, who has not been publicly identified, had been ruled out as a suspect in the investigation, the sheriff declined to comment, citing the ongoing investigation.
The remains found on Wednesday are pending positive identification.
In addition to the first-degree murder charge, Chandler Halderson faces additional charges of hiding and mutilating a corpse as well as giving false information on a kidnapped or missing person
CrimeOnline will provide further updates when more information is available.
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