Minnesota man dismembered pregnant sister, placed body parts on porch, court papers show

A Minnesota man has been arrested after police say he killed and dismembered his pregnant sister last week and placed her body parts on a stranger's front porch.

Jack Joseph Ball, 23, of Lakeville, is charged with second-degree murder with intent and second-degree murder of an unborn child in connection to the death of his 30-year-old sister, Bethany Ann Israel, court records filed Tuesday in Dakota County District Court show.

The killing reportedly took place May 23 at Ball's home in Lakeville, about 20 miles south of Minneapolis, according to the Lakeview Police Department.

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Mom discovers 'a substantial amount of blood,' court papers say

According to a five-page criminal complaint, police responded to Ball's home about 11 p.m. after the siblings' mother called 911 and reported she thought her daughter had been killed inside the residence.

The mother told arriving officers her daughter visited her son's home to have dinner earlier in the evening and when she did not hear from her, she went to the home to check on her.

She told police when she arrived, her son "tore out of the house" and when she went inside, court papers show, she saw "a substantial amount of blood" and called for help.

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Brother's journal reveals anger about sister's pregnancy

Officers entered the home and found a large amounts of blood in the kitchen and discovered a "bloody saw, hatchet, and large, bloody, knives," the complaint reads. They also reportedly found "several dismembered body parts" in the home and another bloody knife on the living room floor. 

In the home, the complaint continues, police found journals and handwritten notes from Ball expressing his anger Israel was pregnant and "no longer innocent."

A body part on the front porch

While searching for the suspect, police received a 911 call from a resident in Rosemount, a community about 11 miles northeast, reporting they watched a man through their Ring security system place a body part on their front porch.

Arriving officers located a dismembered body part believed to belong to Israel and during a search of the area around the home, found Ball near a shed in a neighboring backyard. He was covered in blood and had a "self-inflicted knife wound across his throat."

A further search of the area, the affidavit continues, found additional body parts belonging to the victim.

An autopsy revealed Israel died as a result of "complex homicidal violence" and was about 18 weeks pregnant when she was killed.

Ball was arrested and remained jailed without bond on Thursday, records show.

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GoFundMe describes woman as 'a cherished wife, daughter, sister'

According to an online fundraiser created byKylie Contreras, Israel was "a cherished wife, daughter, sister, and an expectant mother but also a beloved figure in the volleyball community."

"Bethany’s radiant spirit and unwavering kindness touched the lives of all who had the privilege of knowing her," the fundraiser created to help raise money for funeral arrangements and her husband, Josh Israel, through financial hardship, reads.

As of Thursday it had raised more than $34,000 since it was created Tuesday.

USA TODAY has reached out to Contreras.

Natalie Neysa Alund is a senior reporter for USA TODAY. Reach her at [email protected] and follow her on X @nataliealund.