The Spokane County Medical Examiner decided Tuesday that a woman who went missing in November died by murder.
Jannell Martensen, 49, was found in a truck bed toolbox in Valleyford in December, according to court filings. The medical examiner determined that her death resulted from blunt force trauma.
What is the Cause of the Death of Jannell Martensen?
Her death has been linked to the homicides of 37-year-old Colton Russell, Martensen’s ex-boyfriend, and 22-year-old Kiara Morgan-Weiland, Russell’s girlfriend at the time. Russell was shot to death, and Morgan-Weiland was stabbed to death at Minnehaha Park on December 8.
Brandon Kenny, 25, is suspected of murdering them. He remains in the Spokane County Jail.
According to court filings, Kenny told police that he went to Russell’s residence and saw him weeping on the couch. According to court papers, Russell informed Kenny that he had “accidentally killed” Martensen. Kenny told police that Russell threatened him with a gun and that he “had to move her body” or he would be killed as well.
Where was Jannell Martensen seen for the last time?
Martensen was last spotted departing on a camping trip with Russell and Morgan-Weiland. She didn’t come home for Thanksgiving and stopped answering the phone.
According to court filings, Russell’s old house in Spokane Valley was examined and found to have signs of blood splatter on the walls, carpet, and a sponge in an outside garbage can. According to the records, Morgan-Weiland was searching YouTube for “serial killer couples” and “how to dispose of dead bodies” around the time Martensen went missing.
