Burnsville man accused of killing, dismembering mother; charged with 2nd-degree murder (2024)

BURNSVILLE, Minn. — A Burnsville man is facing second-degree murder charges after prosecutors allege he admitted to stabbing and killing his elderly mother last summer.

Charging documents filed in Dakota County accuse Troy Mitteness, 56, of admitting to stabbing his 82-year-old mother, Sandra Mitteness, to death in June of 2022. Prosecutors claim Mitteness also told investigators he dismembered his mother's body in the days following the alleged murder and scattered her remains along the ditch as he drove from Burnsville to Appleton.

“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 Dakota County Attorney Kathy Keena in a statement. "My deepest sympathy is extended to the other family members and friends of Ms. Mitteness for their great loss.”

According to court documents, Burnsville police had been investigating Mitteness over alleged mail theft late last month, before they learned of his mother's disappearance. During the investigation, authorities said they learned money connected with the theft was deposited into one of Sandra's accounts.

Court records say when police initially asked Mitteness about his mother's whereabouts to question her over the deposits, he allegedly told them she was in South Dakota. Prosecutors say Mitteness later changed his story, telling investigators his mother had actually died on June 14, 2022.

Documents obtained in a search warrant related to the mail theft then yielded an apparent obituary from a funeral home, which subsequently denied having provided any post-mortem care for Sandra, which prompted police to open a missing person case. Court documents say investigators then spoke with various family members who revealed Mitteness had allegedly told them his mother had died.

One of those family members also told police they came into possession of Sandra's vehicle via Mitteness shortly after her alleged death, which was later sold to a third party. The criminal complaint says that when police located the vehicle, preliminary testing indicated blood was present in the trunk.

Later testing of Mitteness' home showed blood was also present on stairs, a mattress and a box spring, according to prosecutors.

The complaint goes on to say that when investigators questioned Mitteness, he allegedly admitted to killing his mother because he "spent all of her money, and she was becoming suspicious." Court records allege Mitteness said he researched "how to kill an elderly person without poison," before stabbing and killing his mother while she lay in bed on June 2, 2022. Prosecutors say Mitteness told investigators he waited a few days after she died to dismember and dispose of her body.

Authorities claim Mitteness told them he disposed of her body in large plastic tote bins, discarding some of them as he drove from Burnsville to Appleton. The complaint said police also went on to find two of the totes at an abandoned rest stop near Willmar, Minnesota.

Mitteness made his first court appearance Monday, where a judge set his bail at $2 million with conditions. He remains behind bars in Dakota County until his next appearance before a judge on July 20.

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