Missing Texas Teen Is Arrested In Nebraska With His Mother’s Body In The Trunk After High-Speed Chase
A high-speed chase ended with the arrest of a missing Texas teenager whose mother’s body was found in the trunk of his car.
Tyler Roenz, 17, is now facing charges of unauthorized use of a vehicle as investigators continue to look into his mother’s murder, according to KTRK.
Authorities began looking for the 17-year-old on Thursday after Tyler’s father, Manfred Roenz, reported coming home to the family’s Humbolt home and discovering a human tooth and blood in the garage, according to court documents obtained by the news outlet.
Manfred followed the trial of blood into the master bedroom of the house and discovered at least four more teeth and a large pool of blood; however, he was unable to find his son or 49-year-old wife Michelle Roenz.
The family’s 2011 Mazda 4-door sedan was also missing and Michelle’s purse and cell phone had been left in the master bedroom, which was not where Manfred said Michelle usually kept them, according to the court documents also obtained by KHOU.
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Manfred reported his wife and son missing to the Harris County Sheriff’s Office, who arrived at the family’s home in the 1400 block of Birch Arbor Court around 12 p.m. Thursday, according to a statement from authorities.
Using the Life360 app, Manfred was able to determine that Michelle had come home that day around 10:15 a.m. His son’s tracking information also placed him at the home at the time, but authorities said Tyler soon deleted the app from his phone and turned it off.
The family’s Mazda 3 was spotted in surveillance footage pulling out of the garage around 11:44 a.m.
Using credit card records, investigators were able to determine that the couple’s Discover credit card had been used in Richardson, Texas; Atoka, Oklahoma; and Chetopa, Kansas.
Michelle and Tyler Roenz Photo: Harris County Sheriff's Office
Manfred filed charges against his son for allegedly taking the car without permission. The teen was reportedly only allowed to drive the vehicle to and from school, which he attended on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays.
Homicide investigators received information that the vehicle may be in Nebraska and reached out to the Nebraska State Police, who were quickly able to locate the car traveling westbound on Interstate 80 near Grand Island, the sheriff’s office said.
Authorities attempted to stop the vehicle, but Tyler allegedly fled, leading police on a high-speed chase reaching speeds over 110 mph before the Mazda struck the rear of a semi, flew off the road and hit a tree, according to the court documents.
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Tyler was taken to a nearby hospital with non-life threatening injuries. After the vehicle came to a stop, authorities said they discovered his mother’s body inside the trunk.
The sheriff’s office said initial reports have suggested that Michelle died of blunt force trauma and strangulation.
Authorities are working now to extradite Tyler back to Texas. No charges have been filed to date in connection with Michelle’s death. Oxygen.com reached out to the Harris County District Attorney’s Office but did not receive an immediate response.
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At the time of his disappearance, Tyler had been out on bond for a felony charge connected to an attempted sexual assault.
The teen was accused of attacking a female high school student in his car. According to court records obtained by KHOU, the student told investigators that Tyler allegedly picked her up from school and then started to attack her. He allegedly tried to rip her clothes off, grope her, bite her and punch her before pushing her out of the car half-naked, authorities said. He’s accused of kicking the woman in the face so severely that she received stitches for a cut.
