Questions Swirl After Chiropractor Arrested for Murder

Chad Isaak being held on suspicion of 4 counts of felony murder
By Kate Seamons,  Newser Staff
Posted Apr 5, 2019 9:54 AM CDT
Questions Swirl After Chiropractor Arrested for Murder
Cars are parked outside RJR Maintenance and Management in Mandan, N.D., on Monday, April 1, 2019.   (Mike McCleary/The Bismarck Tribune via AP)

An arrest has been made in a case that has shaken a small North Dakota town: On Monday, four bodies were found at RJR Maintenance and Management in Mandan, that of 52-year-old co-owner Robert Fakler and three employees, two of whom were married. On Thursday night, Mandan Police Chief Jason Ziegler announced that a vehicle spotted in surveillance video led police to arrest 44-year-old Chad Isaak, who the AP reports is being held on suspicion of four counts of felony murder. Police have been tight-lipped on the murders. Here's what is known about the case thus far:

  • As for Isaak's arrest, Ziegler said without elaboration, "Evidence discovered on (the suspect) and in the vehicle provided probable cause to place (him) under arrest for the murders." The Bismark Tribune reports Isaak is a chiropractor who in 2015 opened Isaak Chiropractic of Washburn.
  • The man lives roughly 35 miles away in Washburn, in a mobile home park managed by RJR, though Ziegler said it's unclear if that played into motive, reports ABC News. The company has been in business for two decades and handles things like rent collection and building maintenance.

  • In addition to Fakler, the victims are Adam Fuehrer, 42; Lois Cobb, 45; and William Cobb, 50. All were shot or stabbed. CNN reports no weapons were found at the scene. Police have not said whether all four were specifically targeted.
  • Fox Illinois reports Lois Cobb's daughter, Briann Miller, had this to say of her mom and stepdad: "They were true soulmates and as bad as it sounds, I’m happy they were able to go out together." The AP reports the two had moved from Illinois to North Dakota six years ago and recently purchased their dream home.
  • KXNET report police responded to a 911 call at 7:29am Monday. The AP reports that police on Thursday said they chose to withhold audio and transcript of the 911 call that has been requested by the media. State law allows such a move during an active investigation.
  • The Washington Post sums up how vague and mysterious a week it has been: "The lack of information from authorities has led to an unusual situation over the past week. Reporters have been calling from around the country with many of the same questions as the city’s 22,000 residents. Everyone wants to know what happened at the RJR Maintenance and Management warehouse."
  • The AP notes just how rare a crime it was in a town that sits across the Missouri River from Bismark: The four murders outnumber the three the town has seen in total over the last six years.
(More North Dakota stories.)

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