On March 20, 2023, the body of 25-year-old Rodney Pendegayosh Jr. of Isle, Minnesota, was discovered inside a storage container near the southwestern shore of Lake Mille Lacs in Kathio Township. The grim discovery was made by highway maintenance workers who opened the container to find Pendegayosh's remains. His family had reported him missing the day before. An autopsy later revealed that he had died from a shotgun blast to the chest.
The investigation into the death of the male victim, a member of the Mille Lacs Band of Ojibwe, quickly led authorities to a suspect. Bradley Allen Weyaus, 21, also from Isle, was arrested following a police pursuit. Evidence found in Weyaus's vehicle included a spent shotgun shell, a hammer, a hacksaw, and industrial tape that matched materials used to seal the container holding Pendegayosh's body. Further investigation at an apartment where Weyaus had been staying uncovered blood-stained carpets and Pendegayosh's identification card.
A motive for the killing emerged, linking it to the overdose death of 23-year-old Brandon Elling in January 2023. Weyaus's girlfriend, 21-year-old Alexis M. Elling, was Brandon's sister and believed Pendegayosh was responsible for providing the fentanyl-laced methamphetamine that led to her brother's death. Alexis Elling was subsequently charged with aiding an offender after admitting she helped move the container with Pendegayosh's body inside and sold the firearm used in the killing.
Bradley Weyaus was charged with second-degree intentional murder, fleeing police, and interference with a body. He later pleaded guilty to second-degree murder. In July 2025, a judge sentenced Weyaus to more than 25 years in prison for his role in the death of Rodney Pendegayosh Jr. Alexis Elling pleaded guilty to aiding an offender.
