Bart and Krista Halderson.Photo: Dane County Sheriff’s Office
A 23-year-old Wisconsin man will face multiple charges in connection with the death of his father, whose dismembered body was found last Thursday in a rural area, as well as the disappearance of his still-missing mother, say authorities.
Last Wednesday, Chandler Halderson, of Windsor, called the Dane County Sheriff’s Office to report that his father, Bart Halderson, 50, and mother, Krista Halderson, 53, had vanished from their home on Oak Springs Circle on July 1, according to aprobable cause statementfiled with the court.
The next day, police found a human torso in Cottage Grove, where Chandler had allegedly been seen driving his vehicle in reverse “with the rear hatch open in a field near a wooded area,” the probable cause statement says.
Chandler Halderson.Dane County Jail
On Monday, authorities said they believe Chandler shot and dismembered his father before dumping his remains in a wooded area of Cottage Grove. Police allege he then lied to police, saying his parents had vanished after going away for the Fourth of July weekend, theWisconsin State Journalreports.
Last Thursday, Chandler was arrested on a tentative felony charge of providing false information in a missing person investigation, the Dane County Sheriff’s Office said in a release.
He is being held at the Dane County Jail on a $10,000 bond. His attorney did not immediately respond to PEOPLE’s request for comment.
On Monday, he was charged with three new tentative felony counts – mutilating a corpse, hiding a corpse, and intentional first-degree homicide,online jail recordsshow.
At Halderson’s bond hearing on Monday, Deputy District Attorney William Brown said formal charges are expected to be filed on Thursday, theWisconsin State JournalandNBC 15report.
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“We expect the criminal complaint to be filed before the end of the week,” Dane County Sheriff’s Office Public Information Officer Elise Schaffer confirms to PEOPLE in an email.
Where is Krista Halderson?
Police have not yet discussed motive in the case, which they are still investigating.
Chandler said his mother sent him a text message on July 4, saying they had arrived in White Lake and “were planning on attending a parade that day.”
But the investigation revealed that there was no parade in White Lake that day – and that Krista and Bart never made it to the cabin.
Investigators then found the human torso — which the medical examiner confirmed on Monday belonged to Chandler’s father — near the area where witnesses saw Chandler backing up in his vehicle, the probable cause statement says.
“Chandler Halderson did know that his parents didn’t travel to the cabin and intentionally made false statements to law enforcement regarding his parents' whereabouts,” the probable cause statement says.
“Krista Halderson,” the sheriff’s office said in a release Monday, “remains a missing person.”
Anyone with information related to the Haldersons and their disappearance is asked to call the Dane County Sheriff’s Office Tip Line at 608.284.6900. Callers can remain anonymous.
source: people.com
