Inset: Brandon Cletus George (Lancaster County Jail). Background: The apartment complex where George previously lived with his mother in Fargo, N.D. (Google Maps).
A North Dakota man was arrested in Nebraska this week after killing his mother and leading police on a search across multiple states, according to law enforcement in the Peace Garden State.
Brandon Cletus George, 42, stands accused of one count of murder in the death of 60-year-old Pamela Mendoza, Cass County authorities allege.
The investigation began on Sept. 28, when police were called to perform a welfare check on Mendoza at the apartment she shared with her son on 34th Street South in Fargo.
The welfare check was requested after the victim missed work and had stopped responding to family and co-workers, with her cellphone going straight to voicemail, police allege in a probable cause affidavit obtained by Fargo NBC affiliate KVLY and Fox affiliate KVRR.
During that Monday visit, officers found the door locked, and no one answered, so the Fargo Fire Department helped law enforcement gain entry, police said. Inside the residence, investigators found Mendoza dead in the living room. The victim's body was covered in blood and wrapped up in a rug, according to the charging document.
Mendoza had multiple lacerations on her body, possible blunt force trauma to her head, a mark on her neck, and what investigators described as a strange "star-like pattern" injury behind her right ear, according to law enforcement. The cause of that unusual injury is still unknown, but police said it could be the result of a gunshot wound.
Along with those signs of violence, investigators extracted data from the victim's smartwatch that provided a rough timeline of her final moments, according to the affidavit. The device showed normal activity through Sept. 25, with steps and heart rate data ceasing completely at 9:40 p.m. that night, police said.
Detectives also found a .22-caliber shell casing near the detached garage on the property, the charging document notes.
In the days after the discovery, investigators tracked Mendoza's bank card, police said. The debit card was used in the Twin Cities of Minneapolis and St. Paul, Minnesota, and then in Grand Island, Nebraska, according to law enforcement.
Finally, police obtained surveillance footage from a Walmart in Rochester, Minnesota, showing the defendant using the victim's card after arriving in her vehicle on Sept. 27, the charging document says.
On Tuesday morning, George was spotted by a Nebraska State Patrol trooper in Milford. The ensuing pursuit topped 100 mph and stretched roughly 40 miles before law enforcement stopped the car with stop sticks near Waverly.
The trooper reported apparent blood stains near the driver's seatbelt and said the defendant himself had injuries to his hands. The victim's debit card was recovered from the vehicle, police added.
The defendant is currently detained in the Lancaster County Jail in the Cornhusker State awaiting extradition back to North Dakota.
In Nebraska, George also faces charges of reckless driving, flight to avoid arrest, use of a weapon to commit a felony and terroristic threats, according to the Nebraska State Patrol.
On Friday, Fargo detectives traveled to Nebraska to interview the defendant and process the vehicle for evidence, authorities told KVLY.
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