Michael Lee Laflex
A 45-year-old Minnesota father was arrested for allegedly executing his daughter’s 23-year-old boyfriend in a storage locker and then burying the man’s body in a makeshift grave. Michael Lee Laflex was taken into custody on Saturday and charged with one count of second-degree murder in the death of Bryce Brogle, court documents reviewed by Law&Crime show.
According to a criminal complaint, Laflex’s daughter, Cordelia Laflex, called the Crow Wing County Sheriff’s Office on Oct. 28 and reported that her boyfriend (Brogle) had gone missing after accompanying her father to a storage unit that he rented two days earlier.
Investigators interviewed Laflex, who allegedly told police that Brogle had been placed under arrest “by unknown law enforcement” who had confiscated two phones owned by Brogle. However, the complaint states that he later changed his story, telling investigators that he had thrown out both of Brogle’s phones at a gas station in Brainerd. Both phones were eventually recovered by police.
A “concerned citizen” (CC) whose name was not revealed but whose identity police say they know also came forward with damaging claims about Laflex that the person said they learned from one of Laflex’s family members, who they had spoken to several times on Oct. 28.
“The details included but were not limited to that Michael [Laflex] believed Brogle had been abusing his daughter, Cordelia. [Laflex] had shot Brogle at a storage unit complex in the Ossipee area on or about the evening of 10/26/2022,” a sworn affidavit stated. “Laflex was said to have cleaned up the unit using bleach. Laflex further informed the family member that he had disposed of the body and Brogle would not be found as it had been buried. It was said some sort of a sled was used to move Brogle’s body at one point.”
Authorities on Oct. 29 obtained and executed a search warrant at Laflex’s storage unit where they say they found blood on the concrete floor that someone had allegedly attempted to clean up with bleach. There were also allegedly marks on the ground that police say were “consistent with something being dragged across the floor in a similar width to a sled.”
The sheriff’s office also received a call from someone who identified themselves as Cordelia and Brogle’s landlord. The landlord allegedly told investigators that Laflex had called to inquire as to whether Brogle had ever hurt his daughter.
“The land lord shared that the land lord had seen Cordelia with two black eyes,” the complaint states. “Defendant then said he was going to kill Brogle and had already the hole dug.”
On Oct. 30, authorities conducted a foot search for Brogle’s body on public land in Crow Wing County and identified a possible grave site.
“The site was excavated and a body with an apparent gunshot wound to the back of the head was recovered and transported to the Ramsey County Medical Examiner’s Office for an autopsy,” the complaint states. “The autopsy determined the cause of death to be a distant gunshot wound to the back of the head. The body has been identified as Bryce Brogle.”
Laflex appeared for his arraignment on Tuesday and is scheduled to appear in court again on Nov. 15.
[image via Crow Wing County Sheriff’s Office]