Charge: Fargo teen stabbed 14-year-old girlfriend repeatedly, dumped her body in Red River

A Fargo teenager stabbed his 14-year-old girlfriend more than a dozen times in Moorhead and dumped her body in the Red River, according to a criminal complaint.

Isaac Arthur Arndt, 18, was charged Wednesday in Clay County District Court with second-degree murder in connection with the death two days before of Jaelyn Nichole Walker.

Arndt was arrested in Fargo, and a warrant was issued for his transfer to Clay County. Court records do not list an attorney for him, or a date for him to appear in court.

According to the criminal complaint:

At about 12:30 a.m. Tuesday, Walker’s mother reported to police that her daughter was missing. She said she used Snapchat’s location service, which pointed her to a bicycle trail near 6th Avenue S. and Elm Street.

Officers searched the area and found Walker’s body in the Red River. She had “substantial sharp force injuries” to her back, torso and neck, the complaint read. The officers found a knife and blood nearby.

Law enforcement tracked down Arndt in a Fargo hospital. He told detectives various versions of what happened to him and Walker near the river. Arndt eventually acknowledged that he and Walker had been in a romantic relationship for several months until it ended recently.

He said Walker confronted him about a new girlfriend, and he refused to reveal her name. Arndt said Walker started kicking and hitting him. He said he took out a knife, cutting his own hand in the process, and slashed her roughly 13 times.

Arndt said he fled on his scooter and got rid of his cellphone, backpack and scooter. All but the cellphone were recovered by police.

He said he went to his home in Fargo, cleaned himself up and washed his clothes. Law enforcement found socks and a towel that appeared bloodied in a cupboard in his home.

In a later interview with the state Bureau of Criminal Apprehension, Arndt admitted stabbing Walker several times and cutting her throat. He said he paused to give her a hug and stabbed her in the back. Arndt said he then dragged her body into the river and ran off.