Charges Filed in Mille Lacs Murder

MILLE LACS COUNTY (WJON News) - Charges have been filed in the case of a body found in a storage tote near Lake Mille Lacs.

Get our free mobile app

The Mille Lacs County Prosecutor has charged Bradley Weyaus of Isle with:

Second-degree murder with intent;
Fleeing a Peace Officer in a Motor Vehicle;
Interference with a Dead Body or Scene of Death – Conceal Body;
Interference with a Dead Body or Scene of Death – Conceal Evidence.

Alexis Elling of Rochester has been charged with:

Aiding an Offender – Accomplice After the Fact.

Court documents show the following timeline:

Prior to March 20th, Rodney Pendegayosh, Jr. was reported missing. During the investigation, deputies learned Weyaus had been seen several times in the area with an unusually heavy storage container bound with bungee cords and industrial tape.
On March 21st, maintenance workers found a plastic storage tote while clearing an area on Twilight Road. The employees opened the tote and saw a severed human foot.
While responding to the scene, Mille Lacs County Deputies saw a car drive away at high speed, instead of pulling over and letting the deputy pass. Other officers followed the car to a rural property near Twilight Road.
The car, belonging to Weyaus, was searched and two duffel bags with assorted items, including a hammer, hacksaw, and industrial tape, was recovered. A spent shotgun shell and a fake press-on nail were also found in the car.
Law Enforcement found that Weyaus had been staying at an apartment in Isle. An additional search of that apartment found several trash bags with additional evidence, including blood-stained carpet, the ID of the body, rubber gloves, a black mask, and an empty box of 12 gauge shotgun shells.

It was determined by law enforcement that Weuaus, with Elling’s assistance, moved the body to the apartment before moving it again to the road where it was found.

Both Weyaus and Elling were booked into the Mille Lacs County Jail.