The Four Mandan, North Dakota Killings or the Perils of Being a Criminal in a Small Town

[PastTense]

A North Dakota man charged Friday with killing four people at a business that manages the mobile home park where he lives tried to avoid detection by picking up shell casings, changing his clothing, and cleaning a knife and gun with bleach, according to court documents…

Surveillance video shows the assailant entering RJR wearing brightly colored clothing, then leaving in dark clothing about 15 minutes later, the documents say. An employee at the McDonald’s told police that she saw a man wearing a camouflage ski mask, dark pants and dark shoes get into a white Ford F-150 that morning.

Police: North Dakota suspect planned carefully, hid evidence after Mandan...

Police were able to find the truck on surveillance video driving on Memorial Highway. A photo of the vehicle was taken and sent to all North Dakota law enforcement and surrounding agencies.

Court documents detail more information on Mandan, N.D. homicide

When Detective Justin Krohmer received a photo of a vehicle linked to the Mandan homicide investigation, the white pickup in the picture was a familiar one.“I’ve seen the vehicle around town probably 800 times,” said Krohmer, who works for the McLean County Sheriff’s Office. Krohmer recognizing the suspect vehicle was the lead that led investigators about 40 miles north of Mandan to Washburn [population 1246] on Thursday, April 4. That’s where authorities arrested Chad Isaak, 44, who was charged Friday with felony murder for the killings of four people at RJR Maintenance and Management in Mandan.

https://www.grandforksherald.com/news/crime-and-courts/4595521-mandan-murder-suspects-vehicle-quickly-recognized-washburn-detective

I just don’t think this investigation process would work that well in a big city (sending out a photo of a common pickup across the state seems fairly hopeless). So far no motive other than a possible landlord/tenant type dispute.

[Kent_Clark]

@PastTense

I just don’t think this investigation process would work that well in a big city (sending out a photo of a common pickup across the state seems fairly hopeless).

A white Ford F-150 in North Dakota? That’s like the only clue being “a deli somewhere in New York City.”

[Chimera]

@kunilou

A white Ford F-150 in North Dakota? That’s like the only clue being “a deli somewhere in New York City.”

Exactly. There had to be something distinctive about it. Bumper stickers perhaps or a rust pattern.

[running_coach]

@Chimera

Exactly. There had to be something distinctive about it. Bumper stickers perhaps or a rust pattern.

Isn’t that North Dakota’s state color?

[dorvann]

@Chimera

Exactly. There had to be something distinctive about it. Bumper stickers perhaps or a rust pattern.

Or maybe it had a body lift and oversize tires. That should narrow it down.

[AlsoNamedBort]

@Chimera

Exactly. There had to be something distinctive about it. Bumper stickers perhaps or a rust pattern.

I’m curious about this too. Granted, all my knowledge comes from Law & Order, but how do you get a search warrant based on “He owns a white F-150 in the state of North Dakota?”

[PastTense]

1. Apparently there was a big rust spot (perhaps on rear quarterpanel).
2. They traced the vehicle from a few blocks away from the scene of the crime to Washburn via surveillance tapes along the way.
3. And as stated in one of the articles above the detective who recognized the picture was a patient of the chiropractor.
   https://www.websleuths.com/forums/threads/several-bodies-found-at-mandan-north-dakota-business-1-april-2019-arrest-2.435825/page-9#post-14978130

[Nawth_Chucka]

If the person they arrested is found guilty, every single thing they own should be sold and the money given to the families of the people who were just going about their job. Three more women killed in their workplace. It’s sickening.

[PastTense]

Convicted quadruple murderer Chad Isaak kills self in prison