In a shocking incident, an 18-year-old Minnesota man is facing charges of second-degree murder for allegedly killing his 14-year-old ex-girlfriend. Isaac Arthur Arndt is accused of stabbing Jaelyn Walker multiple times at a local park, slitting her throat, and then stabbing her once more in the back. The incident took place in Moorhead, a city located on the North Dakota border near Fargo.
According to court documents, Arndt walked into the Clay County Law Enforcement Center late on the night of August 19 to report an assault. He had two cuts on his fingers and claimed that an “unknown white male” had attacked him and Walker at Gooseberry Park. Arndt alleged that he had fled the scene when the man attacked him with a knife.
Approximately an hour and a half after Arndt’s report, Walker’s mother contacted the Moorhead Police Department to report her daughter missing. Using a locator on Walker’s phone through Snapchat, police were led to a bicycle trail near Elm Street and 6th Avenue South. A search of the area resulted in the discovery of Walker’s body near the Red River, along a wooded trail. She had multiple stab wounds, and a knife and a significant amount of blood were found nearby.
Arndt was questioned by Moorhead detectives at the hospital. Initially, he repeated the same story he had told earlier, but inconsistencies in his statements raised suspicions. Eventually, Arndt confessed that he and Walker had been in a romantic relationship for several months, which had recently ended. He claimed that an argument ensued at the park when Walker asked about his new girlfriend and attacked him when he refused to divulge details.
Arndt admitted to detectives that he had “slashed” at Walker and stabbed her approximately 13 times. He then fled the scene on his scooter, discarding his phone, backpack, and scooter along the way. In a subsequent interview, Arndt allegedly confessed to cutting Walker’s throat, hugging her, and stabbing her once more in the back. He then dragged her body to the river and left her there.
A search of Arndt’s Fargo home revealed bloody socks and a towel hidden in the kitchen cupboard, as well as bloodstained toilet paper in the bathroom. Security footage from the park showed Arndt emerging from the wooded area where Walker’s body was found and leaving on a scooter. Text messages on Walker’s phone indicated that they had agreed to meet at the park around 7:30 p.m. on the night of the murder. Witnesses also reported seeing two individuals matching Arndt and Walker’s descriptions around the same time.
Arndt was arrested and taken to jail in Fargo before being extradited back to Minnesota. He was given a $1 million bond at a court hearing on Monday, with his next court date scheduled for September 19.
Walker’s family remembered her in her obituary as a “beautiful, blue-eyed, fearless, and feisty girl” who loved singing and spending time with her family. She was also a fan of Anime and had dreams of traveling the world.