Murder Charge Filed After Burnsville Woman's Body Encased In Ice

BURNSVILLE, MN — Uriah David Schulz, 40, of Apple Valley, has been charged with murder in connection with the death of his girlfriend who was found encased in 500 pounds of ice earlier this year.

Elizabeth Victoria Perrault, 41, of Burnsville disappeared around Nov. 1, 2017. On April 22, a fisherman called 911 and reported he found a dead body near the I-35W bridge in Burnsville.

Officers responded and found a body in 500 pounds of ice in a pond south of the Minnesota River.

The body was badly decomposed and was found in a bathrobe and wrapped in a blanket bound with two cords around the lower legs, investigators said.

Using dental records, the Hennepin County Medical Examiner identified the body as that of Elizabeth Perrault. The examiner determined that Perrault died by a homicide of "unspecified means."

The examination revealed evidence of blunt force trauma on the right side of Perrault’s face, with bone fractures around her eye and cheek. Due to the state of decomposition of Perrault’s body, no blood was present.

Investigators said the blanket Perrault’s body was wrapped in when she was found came from her Burnsville apartment.

Several puncture holes, six of which tested positive for the presence of blood, were found in an examination of the robe. A search of Perrault’s former apartment found a dark stain on and under the carpet in the master bedroom, which tested positive for blood, authorities said.

Also found — through the use of blue luminescence — was the shape of a human body on the floor of the bedroom, along with what appeared to be a footprint. Investigators said that when the carpet and carpet pad were removed, a large stain was found on the subflooring. Swabs were taken of this stain for DNA analysis.

Police also conducted a search of the car Schulz was driving around the time of Perrault’s disappearance. When sprayed with chemicals used to detect the presence of blood, luminesce revealed a stain in the carpet liner of the trunk, which tested positive for blood, investigators said.

Because no blood was available from Perrault’s body, DNA samples were collected from her mother and father.

A DNA analysis found "strong evidence" to support the blood found in the apartment and car came from a biological child of Elizabeth's parents, according to authorities. Perrault’s biological parents had no children besides her.

Investigators interviewed a witness who said he saw Schulz moving items out of Perrault’s apartment over the course of two days sometime in October 2017. This witness said he saw Schulz remove and throw "bags of stuff" into a garbage dumpster of the apartment complex.

Another witness reported hearing a loud "boom" from Perrault’s apartment, possibly that same month. The witness said the "boom" was so loud that it shook the lamps in her own apartment.

Two or three days after this "boom," the woman said she saw Schulz moving things out of Perrault’s apartment. The witness said she didn't remember seeing him after that.

Schulz will make his first court appearance Tuesday.

Read the entire criminal complaint below:

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