Alleged 17-Year-Old Murderer Found West of Iowa, Victim in Trunk

Michelle Roenz, a 49-year-old mother and her 17-year-old son, Tyler, were last spotted together on the morning of Thursday, October 13 in Humble, Texas.

That day, the Harris County Sheriff's Office in Houston, Texas put out an alert saying that they were searching for the black 2011 Mazda that was owned by the Roenz family after Michelle's husband and Tyler's dad told Harris County sheriff's deputies that they were missing.

It was posted on their Facebook page at 10:55 PM.

The following day, that vehicle was spotted by the Nebraska State Patrol in the Grand Island, Nebraska area. The officers did what they could to stop it, but the driver of the vehicle sped away.

He eventually crashed the car near Aurora, Nebraska, -- after reaching speeds upwards of 110 mph -- about 20 miles away from where it was initially seen.

According to the Nebraska State Patrol (NSP), it was Tyler driving the vehicle: "The 17-year-old male who was apprehended has been transferred from St. Francis Hospital in Grand Island to an Omaha hospital for ongoing treatment of injuries suffered when he crashed his vehicle, ending the pursuit."

This all took place roughly 850 miles from the Roenz home in Texas.

During their investigation of the vehicle, troopers discovered that Michelle's deceased body was in the trunk of the car. According to ABC13, the Harris County Sheriff's Office shared that "Initial reports indicate she died from strangulation and blunt force trauma."

NSP shared that they are currently working with the Harris County Sheriff's Office of Texas to extradite Roenz back to Texas upon his release from the hospital.

The Houston-based news station reported after Tyler's father discovered the car was missing, he found: "A human tooth and blood in the garage, documents state. He reportedly followed a trail of blood into the primary bedroom of the house, where he found at least four additional human teeth in a pool of blood."

The news station continued: "The father also found his wife's cell phone and purse in the home, according to court documents. He tried to track his son's phone using the app Life360, but discovered his son had deleted the app and his phone was turned off.

Surveillance video reportedly showed the Mazda 3 leaving the house at 11:44 a.m."

ABC13 finished by addressing previous charges against Tyler, sharing that court documents stated "he was charged with attempted sexual assault earlier in 2022 and was out on a $10,000 bond. He's accused of attacking an 18-year-old girl in his car, ripping her shirt off, and grabbing her in a school parking lot."