MITCHELL — An arrest warrant has been issued for a truck driver involved in the death of a woman who was found Monday at a Mitchell truck stop.
An arrest affidavit says the woman was run over multiple times with her body dismembered and found by another truck driver under a pile of pallets at the I-90 Travel Center, near the city’s water tower. Authorities were called to the scene at approximately 11 p.m. Monday.
Anthony Melvin Harris, Sr., of Detroit, was contacted by Washington State Troopers at 12:30 p.m. Thursday, March 14, in the same semi and trailer he was spotted on local video surveillance. South Dakota Attorney General Marty Jackley on Thursday in a visit to Mitchell said Harris, Sr., has been apprehended and is in custody.
The victim was identified as Melody Faye Gooch, of Detroit.
Jackley is asking for the public’s help for any evidence or knowledge about the case. When asked if the alleged murder and victim had any ties to Mitchell, Jackley said law enforcement is requesting information about any sighting of Gooch “in the Mitchell-Spencer area.”
“Beyond that there are no known significant ties at this time,” Jackley said.
He has been charged in Davison County with second-degree murder and improper disposal. Second-degree murder is a Class B felony, which, if convicted, is punishable by mandatory life in prison.
The affidavit says local police were called to the scene and noted “it appeared the deceased person was struck by a vehicle in the parking lot where the human entrails were located. Around the human entrails was blood spatter consistent with a person being struck by a vehicle and then dragged away from the initial impact point.”
Officers watched surveillance video and noticed a truck making suspicious movements in the lot for about 30 to 35 minutes. The truck was seen leaving the area at about 6:06 p.m. and heading westbound on Interstate 90.
Court documents say the victim was a 57-year-old Black woman who was identified by running her fingerprints through an
Automated Fingerprint Identification System.
Bond for Harris, Sr., was set at $250,000.
Luke Hagen was promoted to editor of the Mitchell Republic in 2014. He has worked for the newspaper since 2008 and has covered sports, outdoors, education, features and breaking news. He can be reached at [email protected].
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