Zach Anderson. Meeker County Sheriff AMBER alert.
Zachary “Zach” Anderson is the family friend accused in the murder and kidnapping of 5-year-old Alayna Jeanne Ertl.
Anderson had not been charged in the homicide, which occurred on Saturday, Aug. 20. However, he was booked in the jail on suspicion of murder and kidnapping in connection with the child’s death, said CBS Minnesota.
Alayna disappeared from her family home in Watkins, Minnesota, a city of just under 1,000 people located in central Minnesota.
The little girl’s body was found in a residential park in Cass County, about 80 miles away from Watkins after an AMBER alert was issued for her on Saturday afternoon.
Here’s what you need to know:
1. Anderson Worked With Alayna’s Father & Was a Guest in The Family Home
Alayna Ertl. Facebook
The horrific sequence of events started when Anderson, a family friend who worked with Alayna’s father, Matt, stayed overnight in the family’s home in Watkins, police said.
Alayna’s mother, Kayla, put the child to bed at 2 a.m. Saturday. When the parents, Kayla and Matt Ertl, awoke at 8 a.m., they realized that both Anderson and the little girl were gone, said police in the AMBER alert.
“Our suspect in this case is a family friend, co-worker of the victim’s father, and was staying the night up in Watkins last night,” Meeker County Sheriff Brian Cruze said Saturday night, according to Fox 9. “He had previously been to that residence and spent a night here and there — so he’s not a stranger and not new to the residence, but was just there for the night.”
By afternoon, an AMBER alert had been issued, and the search for the child and the family friend was on.
The Amber alert put out by the Meeker County Sheriff.
Some accounts said Anderson was from Coon Rapids, and some said he was from Monticello. The AMBER alert said he was 26-years-old, 200 pounds, and 5-foot 10 inches tall. Alayna weighed 45 pounds and was described as having short, sandy blond hair.
Alayna Ertl: 5 Fast Facts You Need to Know
Alayna Ertl, 5, of Watkins, Minnesota, was abducted from her home in the middle of the night and murdered. Police have arrested Zach Anderson, a family friend.
2. Anderson Took Matt Ertl’s Truck & Was Tracked Partially Through The Cell Phone in it, Authorities Say
Jail booking photo of Zachary Anderson.
Police say that Matt Ertl’s truck, a 2002 GMC Sierra, was also missing, but it was recovered near a cabin owned by Anderson’s family.
The AMBER alert says police pinged Matt Ertl’s cell phone in an attempt to find Anderson. The stolen vehicle was the work truck of Alayna’s father and also had his cell phone in it, said the St. Cloud Times.
WCTrib said the phone pinged in Todd County at 9 a.m. and was then turned off.
3. Anderson Gave Law Enforcement Information That Helped Them Find The Child’s Body, They Allege
Alayna Ertl. (Facebook)
The child’s body was found in the southern portion of Wilderness Park Estates, “a residential park” located about 35 miles northwest of Brainerd, said WCTrib.
Police are not saying how Alayna died, but the medical examiner has ruled the child’s death the result of homicidal violence.
The St. Cloud Times said Sheriff’s deputies “found the stolen truck on property owned by Anderson’s family in rural Cass County,” and K-9 officers searching the property located Anderson there on Saturday afternoon.
“Information provided by the suspect” and other “investigative efforts” “led officials to Alayna’s remains in a wooded, swampy area a few hundred yards from the Anderson family cabin,” a law enforcement statement said, according to The St. Cloud Times.
4. Anderson Has Only a Minor Record of Traffic Offenses, Online Court Records Show
Law enforcement officials say there is nothing in Anderson’s background that seems “predatory.”
A check of online court records revealed only minor traffic issues, said the Minneapolis Star-Tribune, quoting the sheriff as saying, “We have no known predatory sexual offender information on him or anything like that. We are at a loss as to why this happened at this time.”.
5. Friends & Family Posted Tributes to The Little Girl on Facebook
Alayna’s parents, Kayla and Matt Ertl, in a photo Matt Ertl posted on Facebook.
A Go Fund Me site has been created for Alayna’s parents. It had already raised more than $14,000 in just over one day.
On social media, Alayna’s mother, Kayla, posted the photo of the child used in AMBER alert, and the comment thread was flooded with prayers and sorrow.
Friends and family posted photos of Alayna on Facebook with angel’s wings and with Jesus Christ, as well as other tributes.
Jessica McBride is a Heavy contributor. She was a crime, government, and breaking news reporter for the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel and reporter for the Waukesha Freeman newspaper. Her award-winning work has appeared in numerous magazine, newspaper, and online publications. She has also appeared as a crime reporter on Investigation Discovery Channel, History Channel, and Oxygen Channel. She can be reached by email at jessica.mcbride@heavy.com.August 22, 2016 4:26 am
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