Burnsville man accused of dismembering mom goes to trial

Trial for man accused of dismembering mom begins

Troy Mitteness, 56, is accused of dismembering his mother and leaving her body parts across southern Minnesota. FOX 9's Hannah Flood previews what's ahead with jury selection set to begin on Friday.

BURNSVILLE, Minn. (FOX 9) - The trial of a man accused of killing and dismembering his mother is set to begin Friday with jury selection in Dakota County Court. 

Troy Michael Mitteness, 58, of Burnsville, was indicted by a grand jury on one count of premeditated first-degree murder and one count of intentional second-degree murder in the death of his mother, 82-year-old Sandra Viola Mitteness. Police say he admitted to killing his mother and dismembering her body.

READ MORE: Burnsville man accused of dismembering his 82-year-old mother

Dakota County dismemberment trial

The backstory:

The investigation began in June 2023 when police suspected Troy Mitteness of mail theft, theft, and check forgery in a fraud case. This led police to begin investigating the death of his mother after finding funds had been deposited into her account.

Court documents show when police questioned Mitteness about his mother's whereabouts, he initially lied, saying she was in South Dakota. He then told officers that she had died in June 2022. 

Police then searched the Mitteness home on a search warrant related to the mail theft and found an obituary showing Sandra Mitteness died in June 2022. However, the funeral home listed had no record of any services related to her death. 

Officers then started investigating her disappearance as a missing person case.

Dig deeper:

Several family members said Troy Mitteness had told them Sandra had died after falling down some stairs and later contracting COVID-19. Soon after the death, police said Troy had unloaded Sandra's vehicle to a family member, even offering it for free.

The family member later sold the vehicle to a third party. When officers found the new owner and inspected the vehicle, they found evidence of blood in the trunk, according to the criminal complaint.

While executing another search warrant at the Mitteness home, officers found more blood. Afterward, when questioned by the police, the complaint states that Troy Mitteness admitted to killing Sandra. According to the charges, Troy Mitteness admitted to searching for how to kill an elderly person and researching the best spots to stab someone for a "quick and painless" death.

Charges state that Mitteness then drove west toward Appleton, Minnesota, tossing the body parts in ditches along the way.

Police say Troy Mitteness admitted to leaving two totes behind a dumpster at an abandoned rest stop on Highway 7 toward WIllmar. Officers recovered those bins on private property. Officers say the bins matched some totes that were in Mitteness' garage.

Dakota County Attorney statement

What they're saying:

Dakota County Attorney Kathy Keena called the murder one of the worst cases she's seen.

"The facts alleged in this case make it one of the most horrific and disturbing cases I’ve experienced in the course of my 34-year career," said Keena in a written statement. "I wish to thank the Burnsville Police Department for their doggedness into the investigation of the disappearance of Ms. Mitteness without which this case may have gone unsolved. My deepest sympathy is extended to the other family members and friends of Ms. Mitteness for their great loss."