HARRIS COUNTY, Texas — Court documents paint the picture of what happened before Tyler Roenz, 17, and his mother Michelle Roenz, 49, were reported missing from a Humble neighborhood Thursday.
Michelle's husband, who is also Tyler's dad, came home Thursday at about noon and not only found his car missing but also found a bloody, disturbing scene inside his house, according to court documents.
Manfred Roenz said he walked into the garage of his home and found blood and what appeared to be a human tooth, court records said. He then saw a trail of blood from the garage to the master bedroom where he found at least four more teeth on the carpet and more blood, court records said.
He told investigators that his wife's purse and phone were in the master bedroom, which was a place he said she never left those items.
Manfred said he called out to his wife and son to see if they were inside the home, but no one answered him so he called 911.
Manfred told investigators he tracked his son and his wife using an app. It showed Michelle arrived home Thursday at about 10:15 a.m., according to court records. He said, based on the app, his son was home at that time as well, but after 10:15 a.m., the tracking information from his son's phone was deleted and then his phone was turned off.
When an officer arrived at the scene, they walked around the home and found blood and human teeth like Manfred described, court records said. The officer also found other signs of foul play inside the home, according to documents.
An officer looked at surveillance video from earlier in the day that showed the front of the home and saw Manfred's missing black Mazda parked in the driveway. Video then showed Michelle pulling into the garage at about 10:15 a.m. She left the garage door open, court records said.
It wasn't until nearly an hour later that someone closed the garage door. Minutes later, the Mazda was seen leaving the driveway of the home, court records said.
Manfred and the responding officer contacted the credit card company Discover to find out if any transactions were recently made to the card since Manfred and his wife held an account together, court records revealed. Discover told Manfred that the credit card was used at three different gas stations in a span of six hours, including a gas station in Kansas, according to documents.
Manfred filed charges against his son Tyler, accusing him of taking his car without permission. Manfred said he only allows Tyler to use his car to go to and from school and Tyler only went to school on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays.
Charges of unauthorized use of a motor vehicle were filed with the Harris County District Attorney's Office.
Tyler and his dad's missing car were found in Nebraska the day after his dad reported him, his wife and his vehicle missing.
Nebraska State Police said the Harris County Sheriff's Office alerted them on Friday that the car tied to the two was believed to be involved in a homicide and was traveling in Nebraska. Within 15 minutes, troopers spotted the car and attempted a traffic stop before they said Tyler led them on a chase.
Tyler crashed out during the chase and was seriously injured but is expected to survive, officials said.
His mother's body was found in the trunk of the car. Tyler's possible involvement in his mother's death has yet to be released, but primary reports from the Harris County Sheriff's Office show Michelle died from the results of strangulation and blunt force trauma.
Tyler remains in Nebraska. Sources said once he has recovered from his injuries, he’ll be brought back to Harris County where he’ll likely face a murder charge, pending further investigation.
Tyler was out on a $15,000 bond at the time of his disappearance for a 3rd-degree felony charge stemming from the alleged attempted sexual assault of a young woman.
Tyler Roenz appeared in court in April, although the incident was reported in February. The victim was a student at North Shore Senior High School.
Court documents revealed he picked the alleged victim up from school and took her phone. According to documents, when she tried to get it back, he became angry. He then ripped off her shirt and bra, bit her repeatedly on the back, punched her, groped her breasts and crotch, then tried to take off her pants before pushing her out of the car half naked, court records said. He then kicked her in the face, causing a laceration that required stitches.
The young woman told officers she felt like she was going to die.