Murder, evidence tampering charges filed against Fargo man in the death of his girlfriend

Joshua Hite (Cass Co. Jail)

FARGO (KFGO) – The criminal complaint filed against a Fargo man in the murder his girlfriend shows that investigators believe he dismembered her body with an electric saw purchased at a Fargo home improvement store.

Joshua Hite, 21, is charged with murder, tampering with physical evidence and giving false information to law enforcement.

Hite was arrested at his south Fargo apartment Tuesday afternoon for the death of 24-year-old Isadora Wengel of West Fargo.

In a dumpster outside Hite’s apartment, the charges say police found a plastic sheet with a red liquid substance that was later determined to be blood with the DNA profile matching Wengel. There was a towel with a clump of long, light-colored hair. Police say they also recovered a 12-inch saw blade with material matching her DNA profile. The blade contained what is described as a fragmented array of human bone and skeletal muscle. The evidence was analyzed by the North Dakota State Lab.

Detective Mark Voigtschild, the lead detective assigned to the case, said a blue box of disposable gloves was found in Hite’s apartment along with duct tape, plastic sheeting, and garbage bags. On January 9, Detective Jesse Hinz observed and photographed injuries on Hite’s body that appeared to have occurred recently. They included a cut on his right middle finger, cuts and scratches to his knees, right inner thigh, right wrist and hand, and lower back. There was also bruising on Hite’s lower back and tailbone area, according to the charging summary submitted to the Cass County State’s Attorneys Office.

Fargo Police Chief Dave Zibolski has described the murder as “heinous.”

Investigators believe the body parts were placed in a black dumpster that was shipped to Hite’s apartment.

A car, owned by his father, was tracked to Fergus Falls, Minnesota. Wengel was last seen alive on New Year’s Eve. She was reported missing on January 7. People in the Fergus Falls, Battle Lake, Underwood and Elizabeth areas in Otter Tail County have been asked to check their property for any sign of a black tote with a red cover.