Body of Minnesota Girl Discovered, Family Friend Arrested

The body of five-yearold Alayna Jeanne Ertl was discovered the same day an amber alert was issued for the missing Watkins, Minnesota girl on Saturday August 20, 2016.  The town is located approximately 75 miles west of Minneapolis.

According the Ertl's parents, she was last seen at 2:00 AM Saturday when she was put to bed.  At 8:00 AM, parents woke up to find the girl missing, along with a family friend who was staying overnight.  The family's GMC pickup was missing as well.

The body of the girl was located in Cass County close to Wilderness Park, near Motley, Minnessota.

The search for 26 year old Zachary Anderson concluded when authorities found him  at 4:20 PM, with the missing vehicle.  A tip from a resident assisted in locating Anderson near Motley Minnesota, 80 miles north of the girl's home. Anderson was a co-worker of the father in the Ertl family and according to sources does not have any past criminal history.

Source: KDLT and Star Tribune

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