Volunteers Scour Rural Battle Lake Area for Murder Case Evidence

Chrys Kirschbaum stood in the cold outside Battle Lake and said what many were thinking: "This shouldn't be the highlight of the news about Battle Lake. We're so much better than that. But we are coming together, as a small community, out in the cold, and trying to bring her home."

Dozens of volunteers spread across the rural roads and fields surrounding Battle Lake in February, part of a weeks-long citizen-led effort to find evidence in the murder investigation of 24-year-old Isadora Wengel. The searches, which drew coverage from local television stations as recently as March 23, have centered on a single item: a black storage tote with a red lid that investigators say is missing and may hold critical evidence.

Fargo Police Chief Dave Zibolski has been direct about what authorities believe happened. "Isadora Wengel was heinously murdered and we, meaning the police department collectively, have probable cause to believe that Josh Hite, her boyfriend, is the person who murdered and tampered with evidence related to the disposal of her body," Zibolski said. "We believe this to be a heinous and diabolical crime, and we believe there may be some dismemberment involved."

Joshua Alexander Hite, 21, who graduated from Battle Lake High School in 2022, was formally charged February 12 with murder, tampering with physical evidence, and giving false information to law enforcement. He is being held on a $5 million cash-only bond at the Cass County Jail. Wengel had been missing for 35 days before police announced they no longer believed she was alive. Investigators believe she was murdered between January 3 and January 6, though some reports indicate she was last seen alive on New Year's Eve.

Police say Hite had two plastic totes delivered to his Fargo apartment and only one has been recovered. The missing tote is believed to be somewhere between the Fargo, West Fargo, and Moorhead metro area, or in Otter Tail County, specifically in or around Fergus Falls, Elizabeth, Underwood, and Battle Lake. Zibolski urged residents across the region to check their properties: "We're asking community members in these areas to search their properties, especially those in rural areas near roadways throughout this area we've described, for any sign of this type of tote or any sign of Isadora."

The search effort has grown across consecutive weekends. On February 15, more than 100 volunteers combed through areas of Fargo and found items that were turned over to Fargo police for evidence analysis. The following Sunday, February 22, dozens gathered at Lions Park, 749 Lake Shore Drive in Battle Lake, where organizer MaLeah Jimenez distributed maps and assigned specific search zones from noon to 4 p.m. Volunteers arrived from Staples, Hawley, Fargo, and the local area. Organizer Tailona Trosdashl said search locations were based on sightings of Hite.

Tom Berglind of the Sabin Minnesota Fire Department brought drone technology to extend the search's reach. "We're fortunate that our fire department has some drone technology that I thought I'd bring down today and see if we can help out," Berglind said. On the ground, volunteers were guided to concentrate on areas 50 to 100 feet off the roadway. "It's gotta be somewhat accessible," said volunteer Kuntson. "I'm trying to pick and choose the most opportune spots and check those out."

Many volunteers had no personal connection to Wengel. "You don't have to know her to care, and you don't have to know the family to care and I think that's the biggest thing here," said a volunteer named Ty, a father of six daughters. Kuntson echoed that: "I just felt terrible for the family, you know, to have something that horrific and barbaric happen to your own daughter. I can do something."

Police have received more than 70 tips since Hite's arrest. A multi-agency investigation has included searches of the Fargo landfill and Hite's apartment. Zibolski noted that because disposal likely occurred during the deep cold of early January, the ongoing thaw may prove consequential: "We now find ourselves in the midst of a mid-winter thaw, which may reveal her whereabouts."

Anyone with information about the missing tote or Wengel's disappearance is asked to contact law enforcement immediately. Volunteer search coordination updates are posted to the Bring Isadora Wengel Home Facebook page.