Bryce Brogle, a 23-year-old from Merrifield, MN, was reported missing on October 28, 2022. His body was later discovered in a makeshift grave on public land in Crow Wing County. The investigation revealed that Bryce had been shot in the back of the head and buried by Michael Lee Laflex, a 45-year-old man from Merrifield. Laflex was the father of Bryce's girlfriend, Cordelia Laflex.
According to court documents, Cordelia reported Bryce missing after he failed to return from a trip to a
storage unit with her father on October 26, 2022. Michael Laflex initially claimed that Bryce had been arrested by unknown law enforcement officers, but later admitted to disposing of Bryce's phones at a gas station in Brainerd. A concerned citizen provided additional information, stating that Michael believed Bryce had been abusing his daughter and had confessed to shooting him at the storage unit.
Authorities executed a search warrant at the storage unit on October 29, 2022, where they found bloodstains and evidence of an attempted cleanup with bleach. Drag marks consistent with a sled were also discovered. The following day, investigators located Bryce's body in a shallow grave, confirming the gunshot wound to the back of his head.
Michael Lee Laflex was arrested and charged with second-degree murder. He was later found guilty of premeditated first-degree murder by a Crow Wing County jury in April 2024 and sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole.
