Man Killed, Dismembered Grindr Date, Before Teen Girl Found Body Parts In River: Police
More details have been revealed in the grisly murder of a Bay City, Michigan school custodian, whose body parts were discovered floating in the Saginaw River last month. Robert Tweedly Jr. (above left), 40, was arrested and charged with one count of open murder and one count of disinterment and mutilation of a body in connection with the death of 41-year-old Justie Stilwell (above right). While the details surrounding his arrest were revealed in a probable cause hearing on September 27, a transcript of the hearing wasn't made available until this week, via MLive. The disturbing details came from Bay City Public Safety Sgt. Nate Kamp, who revealed Stilwell was reported missing on September 17, after he failed to show up for his job at a nearby middle school for two days. That same day, a teenage girl saw body parts in the river by the Edward Golson Boat Launch, before they were identified from his fingerprints. At the time, authorities reportedly found two arms and lower legs, including his feet. His car was allegedly found nearby, with blood inside. Police didn't begin to hone in on Tweedly, however, until a friend of Stilwell's contacted authorities -- with Kamp saying the friend saw the victim on the gay dating app Grindr, which shows users how close they are in proximity to each other, the night he was last seen. Realizing his friend was close to a man with the profile handle, "Bored," he took a screenshot of the app and texted Stilwell, asking if that's who he was meeting up with. Per Kamp, Stilwell replied affirmatively. The friend allegedly told authorities he tried to contact the mystery profile after Stilwell's limbs were found, but didn't get a response. Police then ran the "Bored" account's profile photo through facial recognition software to identify him as Tweedly, before executing a search warrant at his home. According to Kamp, Tweedly waived his Miranda rights and confessed. According to the transcript, Kamp said the suspect told authorities Stilwell came to his home on September 14 but wanted to leave soon after his arrival. He allegedly admitted to pushing the victim down his basement stairs, before strangling him to death. After he was unable to move his body out of the lower level of his home, he allegedly said he first tried hoisting it up the stairs with rope purchased from a nearby Walmart, before returning to the store to purchase an axe and dismembering him. He also reportedly admitted to dumping the victim's legs and arms in the river, before leaving his head and torso at a another nature area nearby. When police went to the latter location, they discovered his additional remains, with Stilwell's cause of death later being deemed a homicide by strangulation. During his arraignment, a lawyer for Tweedly entered a not guilty plea. He remains in jail on $1 million bond.
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After a friend of the victim tracked his location on Grindr and confirmed who he was meeting, police ran facial recognition software against the suspect's own profile to identify him, allegedly leading to a horrific discovery and graphic, disturbing confession.
More details have been revealed in the grisly murder of a Bay City, Michigan school custodian, whose body parts were discovered floating in the Saginaw River last month.
Robert Tweedly Jr. (above left), 40, was arrested and charged with one count of open murder and one count of disinterment and mutilation of a body in connection with the death of 41-year-old Justie Stilwell (above right). While the details surrounding his arrest were revealed in a probable cause hearing on September 27, a transcript of the hearing wasn't made available until this week, via MLive.
The disturbing details came from Bay City Public Safety Sgt. Nate Kamp, who revealed Stilwell was reported missing on September 17, after he failed to show up for his job at a nearby middle school for two days. That same day, a teenage girl saw body parts in the river by the Edward Golson Boat Launch, before they were identified from his fingerprints.
At the time, authorities reportedly found two arms and lower legs, including his feet. His car was allegedly found nearby, with blood inside.
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Police didn't begin to hone in on Tweedly, however, until a friend of Stilwell's contacted authorities -- with Kamp saying the friend saw the victim on the gay dating app Grindr, which shows users how close they are in proximity to each other, the night he was last seen. Realizing his friend was close to a man with the profile handle, "Bored," he took a screenshot of the app and texted Stilwell, asking if that's who he was meeting up with. Per Kamp, Stilwell replied affirmatively.
The friend allegedly told authorities he tried to contact the mystery profile after Stilwell's limbs were found, but didn't get a response. Police then ran the "Bored" account's profile photo through facial recognition software to identify him as Tweedly, before executing a search warrant at his home.
According to Kamp, Tweedly waived his Miranda rights and confessed.
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According to the transcript, Kamp said the suspect told authorities Stilwell came to his home on September 14 but wanted to leave soon after his arrival. He allegedly admitted to pushing the victim down his basement stairs, before strangling him to death. After he was unable to move his body out of the lower level of his home, he allegedly said he first tried hoisting it up the stairs with rope purchased from a nearby Walmart, before returning to the store to purchase an axe and dismembering him.
He also reportedly admitted to dumping the victim's legs and arms in the river, before leaving his head and torso at a another nature area nearby. When police went to the latter location, they discovered his additional remains, with Stilwell's cause of death later being deemed a homicide by strangulation.
During his arraignment, a lawyer for Tweedly entered a not guilty plea. He remains in jail on $1 million bond.
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