An 18-year-old from North Dakota, Isaac Arthur Arndt, faces second-degree murder charges after allegedly stabbing his 14-year-old girlfriend, Jaelyn Walker, to death in Moorhead, Minnesota, near the North Dakota border.
On the night of August 19, Arndt walked into the Clay County Law Enforcement Center around 11 p.m. and claimed he was there to report an assault. Officers noticed cuts on his fingers, and Arndt initially told them that he and Walker were attacked by an unknown man while in Gooseberry Park. However, his story raised suspicions.
About 90 minutes later, Walker’s mother reported her daughter missing. Using her Snapchat location, police found Walker’s body near a river along a wooded trail. She had been stabbed multiple times, and a knife was found nearby.
When questioned again at the hospital, Arndt admitted that he and Walker had recently ended their romantic relationship. He confessed to stabbing Walker after an argument in the park. He described slashing her, stabbing her around 13 times, and later cutting her throat before hugging her and stabbing her once more.
Arndt then dragged her body to the river. A search of his home revealed bloody items hidden in the kitchen and bathroom. Text messages and surveillance footage linked Arndt to the crime, leading to his arrest in Fargo. He was extradited to Minnesota, where his bond was set at $1 million. Arndt is due in court on September 19.
Walker’s family remembered her as a beautiful, blue-eyed, fearless, and feisty girl” who loved singing, animals, and spending time with friends. She was known for her love of comfort, often wearing sweatpants and a sweatshirt, wrapped in a blanket with a fan blowing on her.