Cops in Iowa investigate after the body of Melody Hoffman was found in an Amana pond on Feb. 18, 2024. McKinley Louisma allegedly strangled his girlfriend Hoffman and then dumped her body, authorities say. (Screenshot: KCRG; Inset left: Louisma, via Linn County Jail; Inset right: Hoffman, via Facebook)
A man kidnapped his girlfriend and with the help of another man bound her with duct tape and strangled her before dumping her body in an Iowa pond, according to an arrest affidavit obtained by Law&Crime.
The Iowa County Sheriff's Office responded on Feb. 18 to a report of a body found in a pond at 220th Trail and 38th Avenue in Amana. The person was identified as 20-year-old Melody Hoffman. An autopsy determined the preliminary cause of death was by strangulation. She also suffered from stab and slash wounds throughout her body.
Detectives discovered by talking to witnesses and tracking her movements through data from her iPhone and Apple Watch that Hoffman's boyfriend, 23-year-old McKinley Louisma and 18-year-old Dakota Van Patten, picked her up at 11 p.m. on Feb. 17. Investigators believe he took her to Morgan Creek Park in Linn County. It was at the park where her Apple Watch recorded her heart rate intensify before it either stopped or the device was deactivated, detectives wrote.
Louisma allegedly admitted to cops that he and Van Patten bound Hoffman's wrists with duct tape, as she begged them to let her go. Louisma and the other person beat Hoffman and then strangled her, the affidavit said.
They then allegedly placed her in the trunk of his car and drove her around to several locations. Louisma said he ripped off her clothes and dumped her body in the pond. Cops recovered a phone case, an Apple Watch with blood on it, a bungee cord, towing rope and clothing matching what Hoffman was wearing the night she died, according to the affidavit. Investigators say they believe Louisma and Van Patten used the towing rope to kill Hoffman.
Hoffman and Louisma were dating, but he also was intimate with another woman, detectives said. Cops did not name the other person involved in the crime and it's unclear if they have arrested the person.
"The defendant reportedly stated that if investigators were to ask the other individual what happened, the other individual would probably put the blame on him," cops wrote in the affidavit.
Prior to picking up Hoffman, Louisma and Van Patten allegedly went to a Wal-Mart where they bought gloves and two machetes. A third person reportedly told people that the three were planning on killing someone. After they allegedly killed Hoffman, Louisma and Van Patten went to a convenience store to buy cigars.
Deputies arrested Louisma on first-degree kidnapping charges and conspiracy to commit a forcible felony. Prosecutors have yet to file murder charges against Louisma. Louisma is being held at the Linn County Jail without bond. Records with the Iowa Department of Corrections show Louisma was on probation. Authorities on Thursday arrested 18-year-old Dakota Van Patten on charges of first-degree murder, kidnapping and conspiracy to commit a forcible felony.
Hoffman's family said in a Facebook post that a memorial fund will be set up at Collins Community Credit Union.
"Melody was a sweet caring young lady who had the biggest heart," her family wrote.
Editor's note: This story has been updated to reflect Van Patten's arrest.
