A Texas woman’s body was found in the trunk of a car that crashed during a police chase in Nebraska on Friday, reports NBC DFW. The woman was the mother of the teenage driver, police said.
The woman was identified as Michelle Roenz, 49, of Harris County, Texas. The Harris County Sheriff’s Office later confirmed that she was the mother of the 17-year-old teen, Tyler Roenz, who was driving the vehicle.
The Sheriff’s office said Monday that preliminary reports indicated that Michelle Roenz had died from strangulation and blunt force trauma.
Thomas Gilliland, Harris County deputy, said authorities in Texas are planning to extradite Tyler Roenz to face charges relating to the alleged unauthorized use of a motor vehicle.
ABC 13 said that the charging documents related to that charge paint a grisly scene which included human teeth and blood found in the home after Michelle and Tyler Roenz went missing.
The father of the teenager said he found a trail of blood leading toward the bedroom and at least four missing teeth.
Tyler Roenz was charged in 2022 with sexual assault and was out on a $10,000 bond, accused of attacking and ripping the clothes off an eighteen-year-old girl in his car and allegedly grabbing her in a school parking lot.
Michelle Roenz was regarded well in her community, according to what neighbors told ABC 13, and was described as a strong supporter of animal advocacy.
Local authorities in Nebraska were alerted that a vehicle traveling in the area could be linked to a possible homicide, said the Nebraska State Patrol.
Following the alert, a Nebraska State Trooper spotted the car and tried to stop it, resulting in a high-speed chase of more than 110 miles per hour. The crash took place on Interstate 80.
Sheriff Ed Gonzalez said in a tweet, “The crash occurred near Aurora, Nebraska. The male driver has been identified as missing teen Tyler Roenz. Tyler is being treated at a hospital and said to be in serious condition.”
To date, no charges have been filed in Nebraska against Tyler Roenz.
Texas investigators are working with Nebraska authorities to extradite Tyler back to Texas.
