How Snapchat feature led investigators to tragic discovery and helped solve double murder case
Callum Jones
Featured Image Credit: ABC News
A feature on the social media site Snapchat helped investigators solve a double murder case in Wisconsin.
While concerns have been raised about tracking features on social media applications, the one available on Snapchat came to crucial use for those hoping to solve the gruesome crime.
This long-winded case began on July 7, 2021, when 23-year-old Chandler Halderson reported his parents, Bart and Krista Halderson, had gone missing from the family home.
The young adult claimed his parents headed to their family cabin for the 4th July celebrations, but never returned to their home in Windsor.
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Dane County Sheriff's Detective Sabrina Sims told ABC News' 20/20: "He mentioned they were maybe going to a casino. We learned that it's out of character for them to go gambling, and that the Haldersons, especially Bart, were pretty frugal with money."
Suspicions quickly began to arise as investigators found the parents' cars still at their home. While at the cabin, there was no sign of recent activity/use. Something wasn't adding up.
A breakthrough didn't come until 2021, when a resident of the nearby village saw Halderson acting suspiciously after reportedly seeing him backing up his car in a wooded area in July of that year.
Sims added: "She watched him walking from the wooded area...and found that to be unusual."
After an official report was made, officers horrifyingly discovered a male torso that was later identified as Bart Halderson.
A later autopsy found Bart had been shot and then dismembered after officials saw a blade, bolt cutters, and scissors in an oil drum.
Halderson was arrested for allegedly providing false information to investigators before being put in a cell on a tentative charge of first-degree intentional homicide.
The suspect's girlfriend, Cathryn Mellender, was another plot twist in this investigation, as she provided police with evidence on her phone from the Snapchat app.
The 'Snap Map' feature, which allows your friend to see where you are, revealed Halderson was at the Wisconsin River on July 3, 2021.
Well, officials decided to visit the region, where they discovered more human remains, this time belonging to Krista.
Investigators determined that Mellender had nothing to do with the murders and cleared her, while Halderson faced eight charges, including two counts of first-degree intentional homicide, mutilating corpses and providing false information about missing persons.
While he pleaded not guilty in a 2022 charge, Halderson was found guilty of all eight charges by a jury and received a life sentence without parole.
"I have to ensure the only time Mr Halderson comes back into the community is to have the privilege of a burial he denied his parents," the judge said.