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Bail set at $1M for Texas teen accused of killing mother, driving body to Nebraska

HOUSTON — A Texas judge on Thursday set a $1 million bond for a teen accused of killing his mother in October and putting her in a trunk.

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Tyler Roenz, 18, of Humble, Texas, was 17 in October when he was hospitalized in “serious condition” after the vehicle he was driving crashed in Aurora, Nebraska, the Houston Chronicle reported. Roentz had been reported missing, along with his mother, 49-year-old Michelle Roentz, of Humble.

The Nebraska State Patrol on Oct. 15 identified a dead woman found inside the trunk of a car driven by Tyler Roenz as his mother, Michelle Roenz, KOLN-TV and KHOU-TV reported.

Tyler Roentz is charged with murder, tampering with evidence and unauthorized use of a vehicle, the Houston Chronicle reported. He is being held at the Harris County Jail.

Manfred Roenz, Michelle Roentz’s husband, told officers that when he got home on Oct. 13, he found his black Mazda missing, according to court records obtained by the Chronicle. He said he found blood and a human tooth in the garage. A blood trail led to the master bedroom, where Manfred said he found more teeth and a pool of blood.

An autopsy in Omaha showed that Michelle Roentz died from blunt force trauma and strangulation, the Chronicle reported.

Tyler Roentz was extradited to Harris County, Texas, and was charged in the strangulation and beating death of his mother, KHOU reported.

At the time of his disappearance, Tyler Roenz was out on a $15,000 bond for a third-degree felony charge after a high school student said he tried to sexually assault her during an attack in February 2022, KTRK-TV reported.

If Tyler Roentz makes bail, he will remain under house arrest wherever he is allowed to reside, the Chronicle reported.

“He would have to find somebody else willing to take him in,” prosecutor Lisa Calligan said.

Manfred Roentz has said that he wants no contact with his son, the newspaper reported.

Tyler Roentz’s attorneys, Neal Davis and Shannon Drehner, declined to comment on the case, the Chronicle reported.