Severed foot found in abandoned roadside container, MN cops say. Man pleads guilty
When public workers tried to pick up an abandoned tote from the side of a Minnesota road in 2023, they were unable to move it due to its weight, police said. When they opened the container, however, they saw a man’s severed foot.
The plastic tote was found March 21, 2023, a day after a man was reported missing in Mille Lacs County, according to a probable cause statement filed in the 7th Judicial District Court. Police identified the dead man as Rodney Pendegayosh Jr., KARE reported.
Bradley Weyaus was believed to have been involved with the man’s disappearance and was seen with a plastic tote, police said. As police were headed to the container’s location, Weyaus drove past them, the probable cause statement said.
Now, on May 15, Weyaus, 23, pleaded guilty to second-degree murder, fleeing a police officer and two counts of interference with a dead body or scene of death, according to a petition to plead guilty.
His attorney could not be reached for comment.
Authorities recognized the white vehicle driving by, so they attempted to stop Weyaus, the probable cause statement said. He led police on a high-speed chase to a rural property and abandoned his vehicle, officials said.
A person on the property said Weyaus was hiding in an abandoned building, according to police. He was tracked down and arrested.
The search of a home where Weyaus was staying with a female contained a note and patch of missing carpet, according to officials. The note stated that the author would not be returning “due to their mistake,” the complaint said.
This led police to a dumpster, where a blood-stained carpet that matched the missing carpet from the home was found. Officers also found receipts for tools and an empty box of shotgun shells.
Investigators said Weyaus was with two women as he obtained the container, bungee cords and tape.
Weyaus is scheduled to be sentenced on July 24, according to documents filed on May 20.
This story was originally published May 20, 2025 at 6:24 PM with the headline "Severed foot found in abandoned roadside container, MN cops say. Man pleads guilty."
