Girl, 5, murdered by father’s co-worker

He was staying the night at the Ertl home as a guest and police said Anderson was by no means a “stranger” to the girl or her family.

Nine hours later, authorities found Ertl’s body in rural Cass County by Wilderness Park outside Motley.

Authorities said Alayna was possibly taken by a family friend, 26-year-old Zachary Anderson.

When asked if Anderson had been arrested, Cruze noted that the investigation had spread to a number of law enforcement agencies and that he had not yet confirmed an arrest. She has also appeared as a crime reporter on Investigation Discovery Channel, History Channel, and Oxygen Channel.

Along with the BCA, the Cass and Meeker County sheriff’s offices are investigating. So was Anderson, along with a 2002 GMC Sierra pickup owned by the girl’s father, Matt Ertl, according to the Amber Alert.

Anderson is due in court today or tomorrow.

Charges are expected Tuesday against the man suspected of kidnapping and killing his co-worker’s 5-year-old daughter. The vehicle was found at a home in a neighboring city, where police also found the little girl’s body.

Authorities went to the cabin and found the truck.

Alayna Ertl, 5, of Watkins, Minnesota, was abducted from her home in the middle of the night and murdered.

The dad’s truck with a cell phone inside had also been stolen, police said. Her parents told authorities they put her to bed around 2 a.m. and discovered her missing around 8:30 a.m.

Thanks to the Global Positioning System on Ertl’s dad’s cell phone, which was left in the truck, investigators were able to track the truck to another county in Minnesota. “We have no known motive. We are at loss as to why this happened at this time”, Sheriff Cruze said. When video and leads didn’t provide much information, an Amber Alert was pushed through at 1:12 p.m.

Sheriff Cruze said it was tips from the public that eventually revealed the unimaginable.

A fundraising effort on gofundme.com has received more than $30,000 in pledges to help the family with expenses related to Alayna’s death.