Body found in trunk of teen’s car identified as his mother

A body discovered in the trunk of a car involved in a high-speed chase with law enforcement in Nevada has been identified as the teen driver’s missing mother.

Tyler Roenz 17, and his 49-year-old mother Michelle Roenz were initially reported missing on Thursday. His father, Manfred, told authorities he returned to his home in Humble, Texas, to find a trail of blood leading from the garage to the master bedroom, where he discovered human teeth sitting in a pool of blood, according to court documents obtained by the Houston Chronicle.

Surveillance footage allegedly shows the family’s Mazda 3 leaving the house at 11:44 a.m. on Thursday. From there, authorities tracked Michelle Roenz’s credit card, which was used in Texas and then Kansas, as the teen traveled toward Nebraska.

On Friday, Nebraska state troopers spotted the Mazda along Interstate 80 near Grand Island. Authorities attempted to initiate a traffic stop, but the driver accelerated, prompting police to give chase. The vehicle topped speeds of 110 mph before it eventually crashed, leaving Tyler Roenz with serious, but non-life threatening injuries.

Police also found the body of a woman in the car’s trunk. The Harris County Sheriff’s Office on Monday confirmed that she was Tyler’s mother, Michelle. According to preliminary reports, she died from strangulation and blunt force trauma.

Harris County Deputy Thomas Gilliland said Texas authorities are working with Nebraska officials to extradite the teen to Harris County upon his release from the hospital. He’s so far facing a charge of unauthorized use of a motor vehicle.

“Once investigators interview [the teen], an additional charge of murder is expected,” Gilliland said.

With News Wire Services