December 6, 2025 • 31 mins
In this true crime episode, we dive into the chilling case of Haley Rasmussen, an 18-year-old high school senior who went missing in Mound, Minnesota in August 2019 after a breakup with her boyfriend. Discover the shocking investigation that revealed her father, Nick Rasmussen, a volunteer firefighter and handyman, as the killer, using digital catfishing to control his daughter and ultimately strangling her at Lake Minnetonka. We explore the roles of key suspects, Ethan and Marianne Miller, forensic evidence including DNA and Haley’s recovered jewelry, and the emotional trial in February 2023 where the jury deliberated for 40 hours, resulting in a 40-year prison sentence. This story uncovers family betrayal, obsession, missing teen cases, forensic investigation, and shocking true crime twists, offering a detailed account of one of Minnesota’s most disturbing family murder cases.
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
I'm your host, and this is true crime Case Files.
Today we're going to Mound, Minnesota, a quiet lakeside town
just west of Minneapolis. It's the kind of place where
people leave their doors unlocked and kids grow up swimming
in Lake Minnetonka every summer. But in August twenty nineteen,
that peace shattered when eighteen year old high school senior
(00:20):
Hailey Rasmusen vanish after a late night drive. What began
as a teenage heartbreak quickly turned into one of the
most disturbing family tragedies the town had ever seen. In
August of twenty nineteen, the town of Mound, Minnesota was
thick with summer heat. The air around Lake Minnetonka smelled
like some screen in campfire smoke, and families were squeezing
(00:40):
in the last days of boating and barbecues before school started.
Among them was eighteen year old Halle Rasmusen, a bright,
outgoing girl who had just started her senior year at
Weston High School. Haley was known around town. She worked
part time at the Cariboo Coffee on Shoreline Drive, where
she made caramel coolers for tourists and locals. At school,
(01:00):
she was co captain of the cheerleading team, the kind
of student teachers described as chatty but hard working. Her
friend said she was funny, emotional, and always posting something
on Instagram, selfies with litter filters, sad song lyrics, and
pictures of sunsets over the lake. Hailey lived with her father,
Nick Rasmussen, in a small yellow house only a few
(01:22):
blocks from Lake Minnetonka. The yard was neatly trimmed, with
a bird feeder out front and a flat bowl near
the porch. Neighbors often saw Hailey washing her silver Honda
Civic in the driveway or walking their golden retriever Scout.
Her parents had divorced when she was in middle school.
Her mother, Lisa Rasmussen, had since moved to Iowa with
a new boyfriend, leaving Hailey behind to keep an eye
(01:44):
on dad. Nick was known as a handyman and volunteer firefighter,
a quiet man who doated on his daughter. Friends said
Hailey often joked that she had to parent the parent,
but she stayed out of loyalty. She told friends she
didn't want to leave him alone. Still, the relationship between
them could be tense. Nick checked in constantly texting her
during school hours and showing up uninvited at her cheer practices.
(02:07):
That summer, Hailey had been dealing with heartbreak. Her boyfriend,
Ethan Miller, a nineteen year old senior and football player,
had broken up with her two weeks earlier. Friend said
she took it hard. She cried at school, skipped cheer practice,
and spent long afternoons lying in bed scrolling through photos
of them together. In group chats, she sent screenshots of
(02:28):
Ethan's new social media posts, asking her friends if they
thought he was seeing someone else. By the second week
of August, Haley seemed lost. She started hanging around older
kids who party by the lake, and was seen drinking
more than usual. One of her friends later said she
wasn't herself. She'd go from laughing to crying in five minutes.
On the evening of August seventeenth, twenty nineteen, Hailey got
(02:50):
dressed for a bonfire at Lake Minnetonka. It was humid
and still outside, and teenagers gathered with coolers, bluetooth speakers,
and red sola cups. Witnesses remembered seeing Hailey near the
water's edge or mascara smudged, holding a drink and wiping
her eyes, she kept saying she needed to go talk
to Ethan, who wasn't at the party. Around midnight, she
(03:12):
walked back to her silver Honda Civic, saying she'd be
back soon. Her friends watched her drive away, headlights fading
into the dark road that curved along the lake. That
was the last time anyone saw Hailey Rasmusen alive. The
morning of August nineteenth, twenty nineteen, began like any other
late summer day in Mound, Minnesota. The sun came up
hazy and bright over Lake Minnetonka, lighting up the docks
(03:35):
and quiet cubs where fishermen usually launched their boats before work.
The air smelled of algae and gasoline, and a few
joggers passed by the Gray's Bay boat ramp, where dew
still clung to the grass. At around eight forty a m.
A local fisherman named Robert Lindgren, aged fifty two, pulled
into the gravel parking lot with this small aluminum boat
in tow. Robert lived in nearby Wayzaya and often came
(03:59):
to Gray's Bay to catch bass before the lake got busy,
But that morning something stopped him before he even backed
his boat into the water. Near the edge of the ramp,
he saw what looked like dark, sticky stains on the concrete.
At first, he thought it was motor oil or maybe
spilled bait, but as he got closer, he noticed clumps
of long blonde hair tangled in the weeds by the waterline.
(04:20):
Robert told police later that his stomach turned instantly. It
looked like someone got dragged, he said. He backed away,
pulled out his phone and dialed nine to one one.
His voice on the call was shaky, telling the dispatcher
there was something real bad down here. Officers from the
mount Police Department arrived within minutes. They blocked off the
area with yellow tape and took photographs while Robert sat
(04:43):
on the tailgate of his truck, lighting a cigarette with
trembling hands. He told detectives he had gotten there just
after sunrise and hadn't seen anyone else around, but when
police questioned him more closely, his story began to seem uncertain.
He stumbled over the timeline of his morning and appeared
nervous when asked if he had touched anything at the scene.
Later toxicology reports revealed that Robert's blood alcohol level was
(05:05):
zero point one three, well over the legal driving limit.
He admitted he'd had a few beers the night before
and one hair of the dog that morning. The discovery
made detectives wonder if he had accidentally disturbed the scene
or perhaps seen more than he remembered. Despite Robert's questionable state,
the evidence that the ramp was undeniable, investigators collected samples
(05:27):
of the dark stains and strands of hair within forty
eight hours, lad results confirmed the blood belonged to Hailey
Rasmusen two days later, on August twenty first, for silver
Honda Civic was found abandoned in an industrial area of Minneapolis,
about eighteen miles from the lake. The car was parked
neatly beside a warehouse keyes placed inside the glove compartment.
(05:48):
The driver's seat had been pushed far back, much too
far for Haley, who was barely five foot four. It
was clear someone else had driven it there, but there
was still no sign of Haley. Only the lake, calm
endless and silent, held the rest of the story. By
the morning of August nineteenth, twenty nineteen, the quiet lakeside
town of Mound, Minnesota, had turned into the center of
(06:10):
a growing mystery. When the first squad cars pulled up
to Grey's Bay boat ramp, the smell of algae mixed
with the metallic scent of blood. The late summer air
was already heavy with humidity, and boats could be heard
in the distance on Lake Minnetonka, unaware of what was
unfolding nearby. Leading the investigation were Detective Laura Kinked, a
(06:31):
ten year veteran of the Mound Police Department, and Sergeant
Jeff Myers, a tall, even tempered officer known for his
methodical approach. The two arrived within minutes of the nine
to one one call. The scene that greeted them was
eerie and unsettling. No body, no clear footprints, and no
signs of a struggle beyond what nature hadn't yet washed away.
(06:51):
What they did find was unmistakable dark stains on the concrete,
clumps of long blonde hair tangled near the reeds, and
a faint tire markedly toward the lake's edge. Officers quickly
roped off the area with yellow tape, blocking off curious
residents and morning joggers who had gathered to watch. As
the forensic team got to work. They sprayed the ground
(07:11):
with lumino, a chemical that glows under YUV light when
it contacts blood. Under the pale blue glow, Kint's splatter
patterns became visible signs of movement, of dragging. It told
the story of violence that had played out quietly in
the dark hours before dawn. Later, investigators would confirm the
stains and hair belonged to eighteen year old Hell Rasmussen,
(07:32):
missing since August seventeenth. Witnesses came forward saying they'd seen
her silver Honda Civic idling at the ramp around one
thirty a m. Its headlights on the driver's side door
cracked open. One witness thought he saw a shadow of
two people arguing before the car suddenly sped off. Two
days later, that same Honda Civic was found eighteen miles
(07:53):
away in a Minneapolis warehouse district. It was parked neatly,
keys placed inside the glove compartment, a driver's seat pushed
far back, too far for Haley, who was only five
foot four. Detectives believed someone taller had driven it with
no body but mounting signs of foul play. Investigators began
to piece together a likely scenario based on the blood
(08:14):
patterns missing footprints and drag marks leading toward the water.
They believed Haley had been strangled during a confrontation, possibly
by someone she knew, and that her body had been
dumped into Lake Minnetonka weighed down to keep it from surfacing.
They suspected the current had carried her remains further into
the lake or beyond its connected waterways. While detectives worked carefully,
(08:35):
Hailey's father, Nick Rasmussen, grew frustrated. He told reporters gathered
near the lake that he didn't trust the police to
get it right. Within a day, he had organized his
own private search team, handing out flyers, questioning boat owners,
and posting updates on social media. He said he believed
the police would botch it hard and promised to find
out what really happened to his daughter himself. As the
(08:58):
summer sun dipped behind the tree and television cameras filmed
the shimmering lake, Mound's picture perfect calm was gone. The
crime scene tape fluttered in the breeze, a stark reminder
that something terrible had happened in this small, peaceful town.
As the search for eighteen year old Hailey Rasmussen stretched
into its third day, police began focusing on one person,
(09:20):
her ex boyfriend, Ethan Miller, aged nineteen. He quickly became
the prime suspect. Ethan was the kind of young man who,
on paper, seemed like every parent's dream. He was a
senior football player at Weston High School, an honor student,
and worked part time at his uncle's auto repair shop
on the edge of town. Teachers described him as polite,
clean cut, and dependable, but those who knew him better
(09:43):
said Ethan had another side, short tempered, jealous, and quick
to anger. Classmates said that while he could be charming,
he didn't take rejection well. He could go for mice
to scary in seconds. One teammate told police Ethan and
Haley had dated for nearly a year, and for most
of that time they were inseparable. They went to football games, bonfires,
(10:03):
and posted dozens of photos together on social media, but
by early August of twenty nineteen, their relationship had started
to fall apart. Ethan had broken up with her two
weeks before her disappearance, after what he later called a
drunk tantrum at a summer party. Witnesses said Haley had
seen Ethan talking to another girl and flew into tears,
yelling at him in front of their friends. Later, she
(10:25):
tried to apologize, sending him messages that went unanswered. In
the days that followed, Haley seemed heartbroken, crying at school,
skipping cheer practice, and spending hours scrolling through old pictures
of them. Rumors began spreading that Ethan had gotten physical
with her. Several classmates noticed bruises on Haley's wrists and
whispered that Ethan had grabbed her during an argument. Haley, however,
(10:48):
always denied it. He didn't mean to, she reportedly told
one friend, brushing off the concern. When investigators called Ethan
in for questioning. It was the night of August twentieth,
just one day after blood matching Haley's DNA was found
at the Gray's Bay boat ramp. Sitting across from Detective
Laura Kinkidd and Sergeant Jeff Myers, Ethan appeared pale and restless.
(11:11):
He said he hadn't seen Haley since their break up,
and that on the night she vanished, he'd been at
home playing Xbox with his friend Tyler Jensen. His alibi
checked out. Tyler confirmed that Ethan had been with him
from around ten p M to two a M, and
cell phone data placed both young men at Tyler's house
during that time. Still, investigators weren't convinced. They soon discovered
(11:32):
that Haley had sent sixteen unanswered text messages to Ethan
that night, long emotional messages filled with anger and sadness.
The final one, sent just before one fifteen a M.
Read your gun O bleeping regret this. I know what
you and your bleep mom did. That message caught the
attention of detectives immediately. Who was she accusing and what
(11:53):
secret was she talking about? The wording was strange and specific,
and it hinted at something deeper, something involving Ethan's mother,
Maryann Miller, who had been openly hostile toward Haley during
their relationship. During his interrogation, Ethan sat hunched over the table,
hands clasped tightly. He spoke softly, denying any involvement in
(12:14):
Haley's disappearance. I loved her, he said, his voice cracking,
But when detectives told him about the blood by the lake,
his composure broke. He buried his face in his hands
and started shaking, saying, she can't be gone. Although his
alibi appeared solid, That final text message changed everything. It
pushed the investigation into a new and darker direction, one
(12:36):
that would soon lead police straight to Bethan's own home
and to his mother, Maryann Miller. By the last week
of August twenty nineteen, investigators began to shift their focus
from Ethan Miller to his mother, Maryan Miller, aged forty five.
She was a dental hygienist at Lakeside Family Dental in Wayza,
known by co workers as punctual, organized, and extremely protective
(12:57):
of her only child. Mary liked to describe herself as
a tiger mom with Midwestern values. She lived with Ethan
in a neat bage two story home on Cedar Hollow Drive,
where she kept the long trimmed short and her flower
beds lined with white stones. Neighbors said she had a
reputation for being polite and public, but controlling behind closed doors,
(13:18):
you could tell she ran that house like a boot camp.
One neighbor later said, Marian monitored every part of Ethan's life,
his grades, his friends, even his text messages at school.
Teachers remembered her as that mom who emailed constantly about
test scores and football practice schedules. When Ethan began dating
Hailey Rasmussen, Marianne's attitude changed. She called Hailey trash, telling
(13:42):
friends the girl was a bad influence. She blamed Hailey
for Ethan's slipping grades and his newfound love of cheap
beer and late night parties. During her first interview with police,
marian didn't hold back. She called Hailey a manipulative little
drum bleep who loved drama. She denied any involvement in
Hailey's disappearance, but admitted that she had warned her to
stay away from Ethan just a few days before the
(14:04):
girl went missing. Detectives found the conversation especially troubling. They
asked mary Anne what she meant by warned. She said
she told Hailey that if she didn't stop calling and
showing up at their house, she would regret it. When
Detective Laura King could pressed for details, Marianne crossed her
arms and said girls like her never listen. She was
headed for trouble long before we came along. Neighbors also
(14:26):
reported strange activity the night Hayley disappeared around three am,
just hours after witnesses spotted Hailey's silver Honda Civic idling
near the Gray's Bay boat ramp. Several neighbors recalled seeing
a faint orange glow coming from the Miller's backyard. One
man walking his dog said he saw Mary Anne standing
by her backyard fire pit feeding papers or clothes into
(14:47):
the flames. When questioned, Marian told investigators she was disposing
of old financial documents and said she couldn't sleep that
night because of stress. Detectives noted her calm, clipped tone,
almost rehearsed. She was cold, precise, and defensive. Detective kin
Kid later wrote in her report, not emotional, not curious
(15:08):
about Haley's fate. Forensic teams later examined the fire pit ashes,
finding traces of melted polyester and small metal eyelets, possibly
from clothing, but the fragments were too damaged to confirm
if they were Haley's. By then, public suspicion had turned
toward the Miller family. News vans parked outside their home,
and online forums buzzed with speculation that Marian knew more
(15:30):
than she was saying. Police didn't have enough evidence to
charge her, but her attitude and timing made her impossible
to ignore. After hours of questioning, Marian was released. She
walked out of the mount Police Department, carrying her page purse,
refusing to answer reporters questions. As she got into her
silver SUV, she turned to one camera and said, sharply,
(15:51):
I didn't do anything. May you look at that girl's
father instead. The comet shocked investigators, and it would soon
shift the focus of the case yet again. By late
September twenty nineteen, more than a month after Hailey Rasmussen's disappearance,
the investigation had hit a wall. The lake searches turned
up nothing, and both Ethan and his mother, Marian Miller,
(16:13):
continued to deny involvement. Detectives were running out of leeds
until a search warrant for Haley's home computer and her
father's electronics opened a shocking new chapter. On the morning
of September twenty second, under gray skies and a light drizzle,
the Hennepin County Digital Forensics team arrived at the small
yellow house on Maple Street, just a few blocks from
Lake Minnetonka. Inside the home was neat, but somber half
(16:37):
pack boxes still lined the hallway from when Haley's father,
Nick Rasmussen, had talked about moving earlier that summer. A
stack of unopened mails sat on the kitchen counter beside
a half empty coffee mug. Detectives carried out several electronic devices,
including Nick's old silver Dell laptop, which he said he
mostly used to check bills and read the news. What
(16:57):
they found on it would change everything. When the forensics
team examined the laptop, they discovered dozens of drafting mails
written from fake accounts, all addressed to Ethan and Marian Miller.
The messages accused them of ruining Hayley, called them liars,
and threatened to expose their secret. Some were angry and disjointed,
others carefully typed and never sent. The tone suggested someone
(17:20):
obsessed and emotional, someone who felt betrayed. But that wasn't
the most disturbing part. Digging deeper, investigators traced several fake
email addresses and social media accounts back to the same
IP address, Nick Rasmussen's, it became clear that Nick had
been caffishing his own daughter for months. According to data logs,
he had created a fake profile on Instagram under the
(17:43):
name Coal Underscore Minnesota nineteen, posing as an older college
student from the nearby University of Minnesota. Using that fake identity,
Nick had secretly messaged Hayley, pretending to be her online
friend and sometimes romantic interest. Through these conversations, he learned
about her personal life, her friends, her fights, her relationship
troubles with Ethan. Detectives believed Nick's intention was to monitor
(18:06):
and manipulate Haley, discouraging her from seeing Ethan and trying
to control who she spent time with. He sent her
warnings like that guy's bad news and your mom left
because of people like him. Haley eventually discovered the truth
just days before her disappearance, according to search history and
text data from her phone. She confronted her father after
(18:27):
recognizing patterns in the fake messages, phrases and misspellings he
often used in real life. Friends later told police Haley
was devastated. She cried at school and said, my dad
lied to me about everything. Investigators now believe that Hailey's
final text message, You're gonna bleeping regret this. I know
what you and your bleep mom did wasn't meant for
(18:48):
Ethan at all. It was meant for her father Nick.
Detectives described the discovery as deeply unsettling. They noted that
Nick had continued posting about finding Haley on social media
while hiding the secret. The revelation completely shifted the tone
of the case. For weeks, police had been focused on
the Millers. Now attention turned inward to the grieving father
(19:09):
who had once led his own investigation, accusing every one
else of wrongdoing. As light rain fell over Lake Minnetonka
that afternoon, officers loaded Nick's laptop into an evidence van,
Detective Laura Kinkedd reportedly said quietly to her partner, we've
been looking in the wrong direction. By late September twenty nineteen,
the investigation into Haley Rasmussen's disappearance took a dramatic and
(19:33):
heart breaking turn. The focus, which had swung between her
ex boyfriend and his mother, was now pointed squarely of
the person who had led every search and cried hardest
on television, her own father, Nick Rasmussen. At forty seven,
Nick was well known around Mound, Minnesota as the kind
of man who would show up when someone needed help.
A volunteer fire fighter and local handyman, he was described
(19:56):
by neighbors as loyal, reliable, and devoted to his daughter.
Friends said he and Haley were inseparable, especially after her mother, Lisa,
moved to Iowa with a new boyfriend a few years earlier.
He'd do anything for his girl, one neighbor recalled. When
Haley went missing, Nick became the face of the community's
search effort. He printed flyers at the local office MAX,
(20:17):
organized search parties near Lake Minnetonka, and gave tearful interviews
to local TV stations, baking for her safe return. Please,
he said in one clip that aired on Karri eleven News,
whoever has my daughter, just bring her home. For a while,
the public saw him as a grieving father doing everything
he could, But behind that sympathetic image, detectives began to
(20:39):
uncover a far more complicated man. Old court documents showed
that Haley's mother, Lisa, had filed a restraining order against
Nick several years earlier, citing unpredictable rage and control issues.
She claimed he had tracked her phone, called her workplace
dozens of times a day, and once followed her car
for miles after an argument. The case had quietly expired
(21:00):
when Lisa moved out of state, but now it painted
a chilling picture of a man with deep seated anger
issues and a need for control. Detectives revisited Nick's timeline
of the night Hailey disappeared. He had told police that
Hailey left their yellow house around ten thirty pm to
get some air after they argued about her drinking. He
said he fell asleep watching TV and didn't realize she
(21:22):
was gone until morning, but cell phone records told a
different story. Data from Hailey's phone showed she was still
a live hours later and still communicating with her father.
At twelve fifty seven am, Hailey sent a text message
that investigators would later describe as haunting Dad, Please stop,
you're bleeping scaring me. Detectives traced that message to a
(21:42):
cell tower near Gray's Bay Boat Ramp, the same place
where her blood and hair had been found. The discovery
shattered Nick's version of events. When confronted, he tried to
explain it away, first saying it was a misunderstanding, then
claiming Haley must have texted someone else using his name.
As forensic evidence piled up, including traces of Hailey's blood
found in the back of his pickup truck, Nick's behavior
(22:05):
shifted from defensive to withdrawn. During one interrogation, Detective Laura
Kinkid described his demeanor as blank, like someone who had
run out of stories. After being shown the forenic results,
Nick reportedly lowered his head and whispered, you don't understand.
I was trying to protect her. The words sent a
chill through the room. Investigators now suspected that whatever happened
(22:28):
to Haley that night had begun as an argument between
father and daughter, one that turned violent. In the humid
darkness of that August night by the lake, the devoted
single dad who had led candlelight vigils was no longer
just a grieving parent. He was now the prime suspect
in his daughter's disappearance. By late September twenty nineteen, the
mystery that had haunted the quiet town of Mound, Minnesota
(22:50):
was about to come to a devastating end. The days
were cooling, the lake winds sharper, and the posters with
Hailey Rasmusen's smiling face were beginning to fade. On telephone,
many still hoped she might be alive somewhere. But on
September twenty eighth, just before sunset, investigators made a discovery
that changed everything. Around six o'clock PM, detectives from the
(23:12):
Hannepin County Sheriff's Office returned to Nick Rasmusen's small yellow
house on Bayshore Drive with a new search warrant. The
property had been searched before, but this time they focused
on the area behind the garage, a cluttered corner filled
with old lumber, rusty tools, and bags of mulch left
over from spring. While digging near the fence line, a
forensic technician uncovered something shiny beneath the dirt, a silver
(23:36):
bracelet engraved with the letter H. Just a few inches deeper,
they found a necklace with a small blue heart pennant.
Friends confirmed that Haley had been wearing both the night
she disappeared. It was the brake investigators needed. The jewelry
was carefully bagged and sent to the state crime Lab.
Within twenty four hours, DNA testing confirmed the items belonged
to Hailey. At the same time, analysts found blood traces
(23:59):
beneath the rear seat mat of Nick's pickup truck. The
blood match Cayley's DNA profile. The evidence was overwhelming. Detectives
Laura Kinkett and Jeff Myers confronted Nick that evening at
his home. The man who had once stood proudly in
front of news cameras begging for his daughter's to safe return.
Now sat slumped in a kitchen chair, staring at the floor.
(24:20):
After hours of questioning, he finally broke down. According to
the official confession, Nick said that on the night of
August seventeenth, Hailey had come home drunk and emotional after
the bonfire at Lake Minnetonka. She was crying about Ethan Miller,
her ex boyfriend, and said she wanted to move to
Iowa to live with her mom, Lisa. Nick refused. He
told police he had become obsessed with keeping her safe,
(24:43):
protecting her from bad influences, especially boys like Ethan. When
Hailey stormed out of the house around ten thirty pm,
Nick got into his truck and followed her. He saw
her silver Honda Civic park near the lake and pulled
in behind her. The two argued in the dark. Hailey's
screamed killing him, she was done living under his control,
and that she knew about him reading her texts. Nick
(25:06):
said something inside him snapped. He grabbed her during the
fight and strangled her. When he realized she wasn't breathing,
he panicked. He dragged her body to the edge of
the water and pushed her into the lake. He then
drove her car into Minneapolis, parked it neatly in a
warehouse lot, and left the keys in the glove box
to make it look like she had run away. When
police placed him under arrest that night, Nick didn't fight back.
(25:28):
He simply said, I didn't mean to. News of the
confession spread quickly through town. Haley's mother, Lisa, collapsed when
she was told. Neighbors who had joined the search couldn't
believe it. The father who had led the wiggles and
organized search parties, the man everyone thought was broken by grief,
had been the killer all along. The trial of Nick
(25:49):
Rasmusen began in February of twenty twenty three, more than
three years after his daughter Hailey's disappearance. Outside the Hennepin
County courthouse, crowds gathered daily, holding signs that read justice
for Haley and bring her home. Snow still dusted the
sidewalks that winter, and each morning reporters lined up to
capture the man once seen as a grieving father, now
(26:10):
standing accused of second degree murder. Inside the courtroom, Nick
appeared pale and tired. His once kneat hair was gray
at the edges. And he often sat hunched beside his attorney,
avoiding the cameras. The trial drew local and national attention,
not only because of its tragedy, but because of the
shocking twist that the father who led search parties have
(26:31):
been the killer all along. The prosecution was led by
Dianne Keller Kingsbury, aged forty one, a determined attorney known
for her calm but cutting courtroom style. She told the
jury that Nick Rasmussen's crime was driven by control and obsession,
not a single moment of rage. Keller Kingsbury presented evidence
of Nick's secret caffishing the fake online accounts he used
(26:53):
to spy on Hailey's private life. This was not protection,
she told the court during opening statements, This was possession.
Nick Rasmussen trapped his daughter in a web of manipulation
that ended in her death. Jurors were shown photos of
Hailey's jewelry recovered from behind the garage, DNA results from
the truck, and screenshots of the fake e mails Nick
(27:13):
had written to Ethan and Marian Miller. Keller Kingsbury described
it as a father's delusion collapsing under the weight of
lies he created. For the defense, Mark Jason Sloane, aged
fifty two, argued that Nick had never intended to kill
his daughter. He described the death as a tragic accident,
claiming Nick acted out of panic and emotional distress. He
(27:36):
made terrible decisions, Sloane said, but this was not murder.
It was a father who lost control in a moment
of fear. Throughout the trial, Hailey's mother, Lisa Rasmussen, sat
in the front row, clutching a tissue. She shook her
head as prosecutors replayed Nick's television interviews, the same ones
where he begged for Haley's return, knowing what he had done.
(27:57):
Former boyfriend Ethan Miller also attended, quietly, seated in the
back with a bouquet of white daisies resting on his lap.
The jury listened to over two weeks of testimony from police,
digital forensics experts, and former friends of the Rasmussen family.
When the case finally went to deliberation, they spent forty
hours debating their verdict, a sign of how carefully they
(28:18):
weighed every piece of evidence. On the afternoon of February
twenty three, twenty twenty three, the jury returned their decision
guilty of second degree murder. Nick Rasmussen showed no emotion
as the verdict was read. The judge sentenced him to
forty years in state prison, calling the act an unforgivable
betrayal of trust and blood. Lisa wept quietly, later telling
(28:40):
reporters it's justice, but only half. Until I bring her home,
it will never feel finished. Outside the courthouse, Ethan Miller
placed his daisies on the steps and walked away without
saying a word. By February of twenty twenty three, the
trial of Nick Rasmussen had concluded, and the town of Mound,
minnesi Zoda was beginning to adjust to life after the tragedy.
(29:03):
Nick was serving his forty year sentence at Stillwater Correctional Facility,
where he remained largely silent about the case. In rare interviews,
he continued to insist he had acted to protect Haley
from herself, showing little emotion or remorse. Prison staff described
him as quiet and withdrawn, spending most of his time
reading and walking the exercise yard. For the Rasmusen family,
(29:26):
life remained complicated. Hailey's mother, Lisa, returned to Iowa, but
struggled with grief and the lack of closure, as Hailey's
body had never been recovered. She continued to advocate for
missing children and occasionally spoke to local news outlets about
the dangers of parental control and obsession. Meanwhile, the Miller's
quietly left town. Mary and Miller moved away from Mound,
(29:47):
seeking a fresh start after being publicly scrutinized during the investigation.
Her son, Ethan Miller, transferred to a college in North Dakota,
focusing on his studies and avoiding discussion of that fateful summer.
Friend said he rarely spoke of Hailey and tried to
build a new life away from the memories of Lake Minnetonka.
The case had lasting impacts on law enforcement as well.
(30:08):
Detective Laura Kinkedd, who had led the investigation into Haley's disappearance,
was promoted to lieutenant for her work. Despite her promotion
and the recognition she received, she admitted she still checks
the lake each year during August, quietly hoping Haley's body
might one day's surface. It's the one detail we can't close,
she told reporters, and it haunts everyone who worked the
(30:29):
case for the town of Mound. Lake Minnetonka gradually returned
to its peaceful routine. Fishermen once again cast lines from
wooden docks, families gathered on boats, and fireworks reflected off
the water during summer evenings. On the surface, it seemed
like life had returned to normal, but residents still remembered
the tragedy deeply. Every August, a small group of friends, neighbors,
(30:52):
and family members gathered quietly a Gray's Bay boat ramp,
placing candles and flowers in memory of Haley. They whisper
her name into the dark, honoring her life and keeping
her story alive. Even years later, the town recalls the
summer of twenty nineteen as one of heartbreak and loss,
a reminder of how quickly a small Midwestern community could
be shaken. The trial, of forty hours of jury deliberation
(31:15):
and Nick Rasmussen's confession marked an end to the legal chapter,
but for Mound, the memory of Haley remains ever present,
a young life cut short, yet remembered by those who
loved her. Though the lake may appear calm, the town
still carries the shadow of that summer, and every candle
flickering on the boat ramp is a reminder of a daughter,
a friend, and a community forever changed. This has been
(31:37):
true crime case files. Join us next time as we
uncover another story where truth hides beneath the calmest of surfaces,
and where love turns deadly in the most unexpected ways.
I'm your host, and this is true crime Case Files.
Today we're going to Mound, Minnesota, a quiet lakeside town
just west of Minneapolis. It's the kind of place where
people leave their doors unlocked and kids grow up swimming
in Lake Minnetonka every summer. But in August twenty nineteen,
that peace shattered when eighteen year old high school senior
(00:20):
Hailey Rasmusen vanish after a late night drive. What began
as a teenage heartbreak quickly turned into one of the
most disturbing family tragedies the town had ever seen. In
August of twenty nineteen, the town of Mound, Minnesota was
thick with summer heat. The air around Lake Minnetonka smelled
like some screen in campfire smoke, and families were squeezing
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in the last days of boating and barbecues before school started.
Among them was eighteen year old Halle Rasmusen, a bright,
outgoing girl who had just started her senior year at
Weston High School. Haley was known around town. She worked
part time at the Cariboo Coffee on Shoreline Drive, where
she made caramel coolers for tourists and locals. At school,
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she was co captain of the cheerleading team, the kind
of student teachers described as chatty but hard working. Her
friend said she was funny, emotional, and always posting something
on Instagram, selfies with litter filters, sad song lyrics, and
pictures of sunsets over the lake. Hailey lived with her father,
Nick Rasmussen, in a small yellow house only a few
(01:22):
blocks from Lake Minnetonka. The yard was neatly trimmed, with
a bird feeder out front and a flat bowl near
the porch. Neighbors often saw Hailey washing her silver Honda
Civic in the driveway or walking their golden retriever Scout.
Her parents had divorced when she was in middle school.
Her mother, Lisa Rasmussen, had since moved to Iowa with
a new boyfriend, leaving Hailey behind to keep an eye
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on dad. Nick was known as a handyman and volunteer firefighter,
a quiet man who doated on his daughter. Friends said
Hailey often joked that she had to parent the parent,
but she stayed out of loyalty. She told friends she
didn't want to leave him alone. Still, the relationship between
them could be tense. Nick checked in constantly texting her
during school hours and showing up uninvited at her cheer practices.
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That summer, Hailey had been dealing with heartbreak. Her boyfriend,
Ethan Miller, a nineteen year old senior and football player,
had broken up with her two weeks earlier. Friend said
she took it hard. She cried at school, skipped cheer practice,
and spent long afternoons lying in bed scrolling through photos
of them together. In group chats, she sent screenshots of
(02:28):
Ethan's new social media posts, asking her friends if they
thought he was seeing someone else. By the second week
of August, Haley seemed lost. She started hanging around older
kids who party by the lake, and was seen drinking
more than usual. One of her friends later said she
wasn't herself. She'd go from laughing to crying in five minutes.
On the evening of August seventeenth, twenty nineteen, Hailey got
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dressed for a bonfire at Lake Minnetonka. It was humid
and still outside, and teenagers gathered with coolers, bluetooth speakers,
and red sola cups. Witnesses remembered seeing Hailey near the
water's edge or mascara smudged, holding a drink and wiping
her eyes, she kept saying she needed to go talk
to Ethan, who wasn't at the party. Around midnight, she
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walked back to her silver Honda Civic, saying she'd be
back soon. Her friends watched her drive away, headlights fading
into the dark road that curved along the lake. That
was the last time anyone saw Hailey Rasmusen alive. The
morning of August nineteenth, twenty nineteen, began like any other
late summer day in Mound, Minnesota. The sun came up
hazy and bright over Lake Minnetonka, lighting up the docks
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and quiet cubs where fishermen usually launched their boats before work.
The air smelled of algae and gasoline, and a few
joggers passed by the Gray's Bay boat ramp, where dew
still clung to the grass. At around eight forty a m.
A local fisherman named Robert Lindgren, aged fifty two, pulled
into the gravel parking lot with this small aluminum boat
in tow. Robert lived in nearby Wayzaya and often came
(03:59):
to Gray's Bay to catch bass before the lake got busy,
But that morning something stopped him before he even backed
his boat into the water. Near the edge of the ramp,
he saw what looked like dark, sticky stains on the concrete.
At first, he thought it was motor oil or maybe
spilled bait, but as he got closer, he noticed clumps
of long blonde hair tangled in the weeds by the waterline.
(04:20):
Robert told police later that his stomach turned instantly. It
looked like someone got dragged, he said. He backed away,
pulled out his phone and dialed nine to one one.
His voice on the call was shaky, telling the dispatcher
there was something real bad down here. Officers from the
mount Police Department arrived within minutes. They blocked off the
area with yellow tape and took photographs while Robert sat
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on the tailgate of his truck, lighting a cigarette with
trembling hands. He told detectives he had gotten there just
after sunrise and hadn't seen anyone else around, but when
police questioned him more closely, his story began to seem uncertain.
He stumbled over the timeline of his morning and appeared
nervous when asked if he had touched anything at the scene.
Later toxicology reports revealed that Robert's blood alcohol level was
(05:05):
zero point one three, well over the legal driving limit.
He admitted he'd had a few beers the night before
and one hair of the dog that morning. The discovery
made detectives wonder if he had accidentally disturbed the scene
or perhaps seen more than he remembered. Despite Robert's questionable state,
the evidence that the ramp was undeniable, investigators collected samples
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of the dark stains and strands of hair within forty
eight hours, lad results confirmed the blood belonged to Hailey
Rasmusen two days later, on August twenty first, for silver
Honda Civic was found abandoned in an industrial area of Minneapolis,
about eighteen miles from the lake. The car was parked
neatly beside a warehouse keyes placed inside the glove compartment.
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The driver's seat had been pushed far back, much too
far for Haley, who was barely five foot four. It
was clear someone else had driven it there, but there
was still no sign of Haley. Only the lake, calm
endless and silent, held the rest of the story. By
the morning of August nineteenth, twenty nineteen, the quiet lakeside
town of Mound, Minnesota, had turned into the center of
(06:10):
a growing mystery. When the first squad cars pulled up
to Grey's Bay boat ramp, the smell of algae mixed
with the metallic scent of blood. The late summer air
was already heavy with humidity, and boats could be heard
in the distance on Lake Minnetonka, unaware of what was
unfolding nearby. Leading the investigation were Detective Laura Kinked, a
(06:31):
ten year veteran of the Mound Police Department, and Sergeant
Jeff Myers, a tall, even tempered officer known for his
methodical approach. The two arrived within minutes of the nine
to one one call. The scene that greeted them was
eerie and unsettling. No body, no clear footprints, and no
signs of a struggle beyond what nature hadn't yet washed away.
(06:51):
What they did find was unmistakable dark stains on the concrete,
clumps of long blonde hair tangled near the reeds, and
a faint tire markedly toward the lake's edge. Officers quickly
roped off the area with yellow tape, blocking off curious
residents and morning joggers who had gathered to watch. As
the forensic team got to work. They sprayed the ground
(07:11):
with lumino, a chemical that glows under YUV light when
it contacts blood. Under the pale blue glow, Kint's splatter
patterns became visible signs of movement, of dragging. It told
the story of violence that had played out quietly in
the dark hours before dawn. Later, investigators would confirm the
stains and hair belonged to eighteen year old Hell Rasmussen,
(07:32):
missing since August seventeenth. Witnesses came forward saying they'd seen
her silver Honda Civic idling at the ramp around one
thirty a m. Its headlights on the driver's side door
cracked open. One witness thought he saw a shadow of
two people arguing before the car suddenly sped off. Two
days later, that same Honda Civic was found eighteen miles
(07:53):
away in a Minneapolis warehouse district. It was parked neatly,
keys placed inside the glove compartment, a driver's seat pushed
far back, too far for Haley, who was only five
foot four. Detectives believed someone taller had driven it with
no body but mounting signs of foul play. Investigators began
to piece together a likely scenario based on the blood
(08:14):
patterns missing footprints and drag marks leading toward the water.
They believed Haley had been strangled during a confrontation, possibly
by someone she knew, and that her body had been
dumped into Lake Minnetonka weighed down to keep it from surfacing.
They suspected the current had carried her remains further into
the lake or beyond its connected waterways. While detectives worked carefully,
(08:35):
Hailey's father, Nick Rasmussen, grew frustrated. He told reporters gathered
near the lake that he didn't trust the police to
get it right. Within a day, he had organized his
own private search team, handing out flyers, questioning boat owners,
and posting updates on social media. He said he believed
the police would botch it hard and promised to find
out what really happened to his daughter himself. As the
(08:58):
summer sun dipped behind the tree and television cameras filmed
the shimmering lake, Mound's picture perfect calm was gone. The
crime scene tape fluttered in the breeze, a stark reminder
that something terrible had happened in this small, peaceful town.
As the search for eighteen year old Hailey Rasmussen stretched
into its third day, police began focusing on one person,
(09:20):
her ex boyfriend, Ethan Miller, aged nineteen. He quickly became
the prime suspect. Ethan was the kind of young man who,
on paper, seemed like every parent's dream. He was a
senior football player at Weston High School, an honor student,
and worked part time at his uncle's auto repair shop
on the edge of town. Teachers described him as polite,
clean cut, and dependable, but those who knew him better
(09:43):
said Ethan had another side, short tempered, jealous, and quick
to anger. Classmates said that while he could be charming,
he didn't take rejection well. He could go for mice
to scary in seconds. One teammate told police Ethan and
Haley had dated for nearly a year, and for most
of that time they were inseparable. They went to football games, bonfires,
(10:03):
and posted dozens of photos together on social media, but
by early August of twenty nineteen, their relationship had started
to fall apart. Ethan had broken up with her two
weeks before her disappearance, after what he later called a
drunk tantrum at a summer party. Witnesses said Haley had
seen Ethan talking to another girl and flew into tears,
yelling at him in front of their friends. Later, she
(10:25):
tried to apologize, sending him messages that went unanswered. In
the days that followed, Haley seemed heartbroken, crying at school,
skipping cheer practice, and spending hours scrolling through old pictures
of them. Rumors began spreading that Ethan had gotten physical
with her. Several classmates noticed bruises on Haley's wrists and
whispered that Ethan had grabbed her during an argument. Haley, however,
(10:48):
always denied it. He didn't mean to, she reportedly told
one friend, brushing off the concern. When investigators called Ethan
in for questioning. It was the night of August twentieth,
just one day after blood matching Haley's DNA was found
at the Gray's Bay boat ramp. Sitting across from Detective
Laura Kinkidd and Sergeant Jeff Myers, Ethan appeared pale and restless.
(11:11):
He said he hadn't seen Haley since their break up,
and that on the night she vanished, he'd been at
home playing Xbox with his friend Tyler Jensen. His alibi
checked out. Tyler confirmed that Ethan had been with him
from around ten p M to two a M, and
cell phone data placed both young men at Tyler's house
during that time. Still, investigators weren't convinced. They soon discovered
(11:32):
that Haley had sent sixteen unanswered text messages to Ethan
that night, long emotional messages filled with anger and sadness.
The final one, sent just before one fifteen a M.
Read your gun O bleeping regret this. I know what
you and your bleep mom did. That message caught the
attention of detectives immediately. Who was she accusing and what
(11:53):
secret was she talking about? The wording was strange and specific,
and it hinted at something deeper, something involving Ethan's mother,
Maryann Miller, who had been openly hostile toward Haley during
their relationship. During his interrogation, Ethan sat hunched over the table,
hands clasped tightly. He spoke softly, denying any involvement in
(12:14):
Haley's disappearance. I loved her, he said, his voice cracking,
But when detectives told him about the blood by the lake,
his composure broke. He buried his face in his hands
and started shaking, saying, she can't be gone. Although his
alibi appeared solid, That final text message changed everything. It
pushed the investigation into a new and darker direction, one
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that would soon lead police straight to Bethan's own home
and to his mother, Maryann Miller. By the last week
of August twenty nineteen, investigators began to shift their focus
from Ethan Miller to his mother, Maryan Miller, aged forty five.
She was a dental hygienist at Lakeside Family Dental in Wayza,
known by co workers as punctual, organized, and extremely protective
(12:57):
of her only child. Mary liked to describe herself as
a tiger mom with Midwestern values. She lived with Ethan
in a neat bage two story home on Cedar Hollow Drive,
where she kept the long trimmed short and her flower
beds lined with white stones. Neighbors said she had a
reputation for being polite and public, but controlling behind closed doors,
(13:18):
you could tell she ran that house like a boot camp.
One neighbor later said, Marian monitored every part of Ethan's life,
his grades, his friends, even his text messages at school.
Teachers remembered her as that mom who emailed constantly about
test scores and football practice schedules. When Ethan began dating
Hailey Rasmussen, Marianne's attitude changed. She called Hailey trash, telling
(13:42):
friends the girl was a bad influence. She blamed Hailey
for Ethan's slipping grades and his newfound love of cheap
beer and late night parties. During her first interview with police,
marian didn't hold back. She called Hailey a manipulative little
drum bleep who loved drama. She denied any involvement in
Hailey's disappearance, but admitted that she had warned her to
stay away from Ethan just a few days before the
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girl went missing. Detectives found the conversation especially troubling. They
asked mary Anne what she meant by warned. She said
she told Hailey that if she didn't stop calling and
showing up at their house, she would regret it. When
Detective Laura King could pressed for details, Marianne crossed her
arms and said girls like her never listen. She was
headed for trouble long before we came along. Neighbors also
(14:26):
reported strange activity the night Hayley disappeared around three am,
just hours after witnesses spotted Hailey's silver Honda Civic idling
near the Gray's Bay boat ramp. Several neighbors recalled seeing
a faint orange glow coming from the Miller's backyard. One
man walking his dog said he saw Mary Anne standing
by her backyard fire pit feeding papers or clothes into
(14:47):
the flames. When questioned, Marian told investigators she was disposing
of old financial documents and said she couldn't sleep that
night because of stress. Detectives noted her calm, clipped tone,
almost rehearsed. She was cold, precise, and defensive. Detective kin
Kid later wrote in her report, not emotional, not curious
(15:08):
about Haley's fate. Forensic teams later examined the fire pit ashes,
finding traces of melted polyester and small metal eyelets, possibly
from clothing, but the fragments were too damaged to confirm
if they were Haley's. By then, public suspicion had turned
toward the Miller family. News vans parked outside their home,
and online forums buzzed with speculation that Marian knew more
(15:30):
than she was saying. Police didn't have enough evidence to
charge her, but her attitude and timing made her impossible
to ignore. After hours of questioning, Marian was released. She
walked out of the mount Police Department, carrying her page purse,
refusing to answer reporters questions. As she got into her
silver SUV, she turned to one camera and said, sharply,
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I didn't do anything. May you look at that girl's
father instead. The comet shocked investigators, and it would soon
shift the focus of the case yet again. By late
September twenty nineteen, more than a month after Hailey Rasmussen's disappearance,
the investigation had hit a wall. The lake searches turned
up nothing, and both Ethan and his mother, Marian Miller,
(16:13):
continued to deny involvement. Detectives were running out of leeds
until a search warrant for Haley's home computer and her
father's electronics opened a shocking new chapter. On the morning
of September twenty second, under gray skies and a light drizzle,
the Hennepin County Digital Forensics team arrived at the small
yellow house on Maple Street, just a few blocks from
Lake Minnetonka. Inside the home was neat, but somber half
(16:37):
pack boxes still lined the hallway from when Haley's father,
Nick Rasmussen, had talked about moving earlier that summer. A
stack of unopened mails sat on the kitchen counter beside
a half empty coffee mug. Detectives carried out several electronic devices,
including Nick's old silver Dell laptop, which he said he
mostly used to check bills and read the news. What
(16:57):
they found on it would change everything. When the forensics
team examined the laptop, they discovered dozens of drafting mails
written from fake accounts, all addressed to Ethan and Marian Miller.
The messages accused them of ruining Hayley, called them liars,
and threatened to expose their secret. Some were angry and disjointed,
others carefully typed and never sent. The tone suggested someone
(17:20):
obsessed and emotional, someone who felt betrayed. But that wasn't
the most disturbing part. Digging deeper, investigators traced several fake
email addresses and social media accounts back to the same
IP address, Nick Rasmussen's, it became clear that Nick had
been caffishing his own daughter for months. According to data logs,
he had created a fake profile on Instagram under the
(17:43):
name Coal Underscore Minnesota nineteen, posing as an older college
student from the nearby University of Minnesota. Using that fake identity,
Nick had secretly messaged Hayley, pretending to be her online
friend and sometimes romantic interest. Through these conversations, he learned
about her personal life, her friends, her fights, her relationship
troubles with Ethan. Detectives believed Nick's intention was to monitor
(18:06):
and manipulate Haley, discouraging her from seeing Ethan and trying
to control who she spent time with. He sent her
warnings like that guy's bad news and your mom left
because of people like him. Haley eventually discovered the truth
just days before her disappearance, according to search history and
text data from her phone. She confronted her father after
(18:27):
recognizing patterns in the fake messages, phrases and misspellings he
often used in real life. Friends later told police Haley
was devastated. She cried at school and said, my dad
lied to me about everything. Investigators now believe that Hailey's
final text message, You're gonna bleeping regret this. I know
what you and your bleep mom did wasn't meant for
(18:48):
Ethan at all. It was meant for her father Nick.
Detectives described the discovery as deeply unsettling. They noted that
Nick had continued posting about finding Haley on social media
while hiding the secret. The revelation completely shifted the tone
of the case. For weeks, police had been focused on
the Millers. Now attention turned inward to the grieving father
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who had once led his own investigation, accusing every one
else of wrongdoing. As light rain fell over Lake Minnetonka
that afternoon, officers loaded Nick's laptop into an evidence van,
Detective Laura Kinkedd reportedly said quietly to her partner, we've
been looking in the wrong direction. By late September twenty nineteen,
the investigation into Haley Rasmussen's disappearance took a dramatic and
(19:33):
heart breaking turn. The focus, which had swung between her
ex boyfriend and his mother, was now pointed squarely of
the person who had led every search and cried hardest
on television, her own father, Nick Rasmussen. At forty seven,
Nick was well known around Mound, Minnesota as the kind
of man who would show up when someone needed help.
A volunteer fire fighter and local handyman, he was described
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by neighbors as loyal, reliable, and devoted to his daughter.
Friends said he and Haley were inseparable, especially after her mother, Lisa,
moved to Iowa with a new boyfriend a few years earlier.
He'd do anything for his girl, one neighbor recalled. When
Haley went missing, Nick became the face of the community's
search effort. He printed flyers at the local office MAX,
(20:17):
organized search parties near Lake Minnetonka, and gave tearful interviews
to local TV stations, baking for her safe return. Please,
he said in one clip that aired on Karri eleven News,
whoever has my daughter, just bring her home. For a while,
the public saw him as a grieving father doing everything
he could, But behind that sympathetic image, detectives began to
(20:39):
uncover a far more complicated man. Old court documents showed
that Haley's mother, Lisa, had filed a restraining order against
Nick several years earlier, citing unpredictable rage and control issues.
She claimed he had tracked her phone, called her workplace
dozens of times a day, and once followed her car
for miles after an argument. The case had quietly expired
(21:00):
when Lisa moved out of state, but now it painted
a chilling picture of a man with deep seated anger
issues and a need for control. Detectives revisited Nick's timeline
of the night Hailey disappeared. He had told police that
Hailey left their yellow house around ten thirty pm to
get some air after they argued about her drinking. He
said he fell asleep watching TV and didn't realize she
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was gone until morning, but cell phone records told a
different story. Data from Hailey's phone showed she was still
a live hours later and still communicating with her father.
At twelve fifty seven am, Hailey sent a text message
that investigators would later describe as haunting Dad, Please stop,
you're bleeping scaring me. Detectives traced that message to a
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cell tower near Gray's Bay Boat Ramp, the same place
where her blood and hair had been found. The discovery
shattered Nick's version of events. When confronted, he tried to
explain it away, first saying it was a misunderstanding, then
claiming Haley must have texted someone else using his name.
As forensic evidence piled up, including traces of Hailey's blood
found in the back of his pickup truck, Nick's behavior
(22:05):
shifted from defensive to withdrawn. During one interrogation, Detective Laura
Kinkid described his demeanor as blank, like someone who had
run out of stories. After being shown the forenic results,
Nick reportedly lowered his head and whispered, you don't understand.
I was trying to protect her. The words sent a
chill through the room. Investigators now suspected that whatever happened
(22:28):
to Haley that night had begun as an argument between
father and daughter, one that turned violent. In the humid
darkness of that August night by the lake, the devoted
single dad who had led candlelight vigils was no longer
just a grieving parent. He was now the prime suspect
in his daughter's disappearance. By late September twenty nineteen, the
mystery that had haunted the quiet town of Mound, Minnesota
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was about to come to a devastating end. The days
were cooling, the lake winds sharper, and the posters with
Hailey Rasmusen's smiling face were beginning to fade. On telephone,
many still hoped she might be alive somewhere. But on
September twenty eighth, just before sunset, investigators made a discovery
that changed everything. Around six o'clock PM, detectives from the
(23:12):
Hannepin County Sheriff's Office returned to Nick Rasmusen's small yellow
house on Bayshore Drive with a new search warrant. The
property had been searched before, but this time they focused
on the area behind the garage, a cluttered corner filled
with old lumber, rusty tools, and bags of mulch left
over from spring. While digging near the fence line, a
forensic technician uncovered something shiny beneath the dirt, a silver
(23:36):
bracelet engraved with the letter H. Just a few inches deeper,
they found a necklace with a small blue heart pennant.
Friends confirmed that Haley had been wearing both the night
she disappeared. It was the brake investigators needed. The jewelry
was carefully bagged and sent to the state crime Lab.
Within twenty four hours, DNA testing confirmed the items belonged
to Hailey. At the same time, analysts found blood traces
(23:59):
beneath the rear seat mat of Nick's pickup truck. The
blood match Cayley's DNA profile. The evidence was overwhelming. Detectives
Laura Kinkett and Jeff Myers confronted Nick that evening at
his home. The man who had once stood proudly in
front of news cameras begging for his daughter's to safe return.
Now sat slumped in a kitchen chair, staring at the floor.
(24:20):
After hours of questioning, he finally broke down. According to
the official confession, Nick said that on the night of
August seventeenth, Hailey had come home drunk and emotional after
the bonfire at Lake Minnetonka. She was crying about Ethan Miller,
her ex boyfriend, and said she wanted to move to
Iowa to live with her mom, Lisa. Nick refused. He
told police he had become obsessed with keeping her safe,
(24:43):
protecting her from bad influences, especially boys like Ethan. When
Hailey stormed out of the house around ten thirty pm,
Nick got into his truck and followed her. He saw
her silver Honda Civic park near the lake and pulled
in behind her. The two argued in the dark. Hailey's
screamed killing him, she was done living under his control,
and that she knew about him reading her texts. Nick
(25:06):
said something inside him snapped. He grabbed her during the
fight and strangled her. When he realized she wasn't breathing,
he panicked. He dragged her body to the edge of
the water and pushed her into the lake. He then
drove her car into Minneapolis, parked it neatly in a
warehouse lot, and left the keys in the glove box
to make it look like she had run away. When
police placed him under arrest that night, Nick didn't fight back.
(25:28):
He simply said, I didn't mean to. News of the
confession spread quickly through town. Haley's mother, Lisa, collapsed when
she was told. Neighbors who had joined the search couldn't
believe it. The father who had led the wiggles and
organized search parties, the man everyone thought was broken by grief,
had been the killer all along. The trial of Nick
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Rasmusen began in February of twenty twenty three, more than
three years after his daughter Hailey's disappearance. Outside the Hennepin
County courthouse, crowds gathered daily, holding signs that read justice
for Haley and bring her home. Snow still dusted the
sidewalks that winter, and each morning reporters lined up to
capture the man once seen as a grieving father, now
(26:10):
standing accused of second degree murder. Inside the courtroom, Nick
appeared pale and tired. His once kneat hair was gray
at the edges. And he often sat hunched beside his attorney,
avoiding the cameras. The trial drew local and national attention,
not only because of its tragedy, but because of the
shocking twist that the father who led search parties have
(26:31):
been the killer all along. The prosecution was led by
Dianne Keller Kingsbury, aged forty one, a determined attorney known
for her calm but cutting courtroom style. She told the
jury that Nick Rasmussen's crime was driven by control and obsession,
not a single moment of rage. Keller Kingsbury presented evidence
of Nick's secret caffishing the fake online accounts he used
(26:53):
to spy on Hailey's private life. This was not protection,
she told the court during opening statements, This was possession.
Nick Rasmussen trapped his daughter in a web of manipulation
that ended in her death. Jurors were shown photos of
Hailey's jewelry recovered from behind the garage, DNA results from
the truck, and screenshots of the fake e mails Nick
(27:13):
had written to Ethan and Marian Miller. Keller Kingsbury described
it as a father's delusion collapsing under the weight of
lies he created. For the defense, Mark Jason Sloane, aged
fifty two, argued that Nick had never intended to kill
his daughter. He described the death as a tragic accident,
claiming Nick acted out of panic and emotional distress. He
(27:36):
made terrible decisions, Sloane said, but this was not murder.
It was a father who lost control in a moment
of fear. Throughout the trial, Hailey's mother, Lisa Rasmussen, sat
in the front row, clutching a tissue. She shook her
head as prosecutors replayed Nick's television interviews, the same ones
where he begged for Haley's return, knowing what he had done.
(27:57):
Former boyfriend Ethan Miller also attended, quietly, seated in the
back with a bouquet of white daisies resting on his lap.
The jury listened to over two weeks of testimony from police,
digital forensics experts, and former friends of the Rasmussen family.
When the case finally went to deliberation, they spent forty
hours debating their verdict, a sign of how carefully they
(28:18):
weighed every piece of evidence. On the afternoon of February
twenty three, twenty twenty three, the jury returned their decision
guilty of second degree murder. Nick Rasmussen showed no emotion
as the verdict was read. The judge sentenced him to
forty years in state prison, calling the act an unforgivable
betrayal of trust and blood. Lisa wept quietly, later telling
(28:40):
reporters it's justice, but only half. Until I bring her home,
it will never feel finished. Outside the courthouse, Ethan Miller
placed his daisies on the steps and walked away without
saying a word. By February of twenty twenty three, the
trial of Nick Rasmussen had concluded, and the town of Mound,
minnesi Zoda was beginning to adjust to life after the tragedy.
(29:03):
Nick was serving his forty year sentence at Stillwater Correctional Facility,
where he remained largely silent about the case. In rare interviews,
he continued to insist he had acted to protect Haley
from herself, showing little emotion or remorse. Prison staff described
him as quiet and withdrawn, spending most of his time
reading and walking the exercise yard. For the Rasmusen family,
(29:26):
life remained complicated. Hailey's mother, Lisa, returned to Iowa, but
struggled with grief and the lack of closure, as Hailey's
body had never been recovered. She continued to advocate for
missing children and occasionally spoke to local news outlets about
the dangers of parental control and obsession. Meanwhile, the Miller's
quietly left town. Mary and Miller moved away from Mound,
(29:47):
seeking a fresh start after being publicly scrutinized during the investigation.
Her son, Ethan Miller, transferred to a college in North Dakota,
focusing on his studies and avoiding discussion of that fateful summer.
Friend said he rarely spoke of Hailey and tried to
build a new life away from the memories of Lake Minnetonka.
The case had lasting impacts on law enforcement as well.
(30:08):
Detective Laura Kinkedd, who had led the investigation into Haley's disappearance,
was promoted to lieutenant for her work. Despite her promotion
and the recognition she received, she admitted she still checks
the lake each year during August, quietly hoping Haley's body
might one day's surface. It's the one detail we can't close,
she told reporters, and it haunts everyone who worked the
(30:29):
case for the town of Mound. Lake Minnetonka gradually returned
to its peaceful routine. Fishermen once again cast lines from
wooden docks, families gathered on boats, and fireworks reflected off
the water during summer evenings. On the surface, it seemed
like life had returned to normal, but residents still remembered
the tragedy deeply. Every August, a small group of friends, neighbors,
(30:52):
and family members gathered quietly a Gray's Bay boat ramp,
placing candles and flowers in memory of Haley. They whisper
her name into the dark, honoring her life and keeping
her story alive. Even years later, the town recalls the
summer of twenty nineteen as one of heartbreak and loss,
a reminder of how quickly a small Midwestern community could
be shaken. The trial, of forty hours of jury deliberation
(31:15):
and Nick Rasmussen's confession marked an end to the legal chapter,
but for Mound, the memory of Haley remains ever present,
a young life cut short, yet remembered by those who
loved her. Though the lake may appear calm, the town
still carries the shadow of that summer, and every candle
flickering on the boat ramp is a reminder of a daughter,
a friend, and a community forever changed. This has been
(31:37):
true crime case files. Join us next time as we
uncover another story where truth hides beneath the calmest of surfaces,
and where love turns deadly in the most unexpected ways.
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