Man behind bars after admitting he killed woman in Tooele County
May 10, 2022, 9:39 PM | Updated: 9:52 pm
FILE (Tooele County Sheriff's Office Facebook Page)
(Tooele County Sheriff's Office Facebook Page)
TOOELE COUNTY, Utah — A man is behind bars Tuesday night after authorities say he admitted to shooting and killing a 23-year-old woman and then hiding her body in Tooele County.
On Friday, May 6, Tooele County deputies were notified about a woman who was found dead in the area of the Five Mile Pass Recreational Area.
“Upon arrival to the scene, there was evidence of foul play,” read a press release from the Tooele County Sheriff’s Office.
Deputies say they were contacted by the Salt Lake City Police Department that same evening about a missing 23-year-old woman named Brooklyn Tyree.
“Brooklyn was supposed to be headed to the Tooele area to see some friends earlier in the week and had not been heard from since. Family reported that she was last seen by Brandon Zipperle,” stated the release.
Authorities were not able to identify the victim right away, but deputies say the SLCPD provided some video footage of Zipperle picking up Tyree earlier in the week, which helped with the investigation.
“The clothes Brooklyn was wearing in the video were identical to the clothes on our victim, making it obvious our victim was Brooklyn,” stated the release.
Data was then collected from both Zipperle and Tyree’s phones. According to deputies, both phones showed the two were in the area of Five Mile Pass on Tuesday, May 3.
On Tuesday, May 10, investigators traveled to the Adult Probation & Parole office in Provo to meet with Brandon, who was then brought back to the Tooele County Sheriff’s Office for an interview.
“During the interview, Brandon admitted to shooting the victim, hiding the victim’s body, and disposing of the victim’s personal belongings,” stated the release.
Investigators also learned that Brandon Zipperle, 28, had a fiancée — 28-year-old Elizabeth Ludwig.
Deputies say during a search warrant at Zipperle’s home, they found a shoe, which belonged to Ludwig, that had a tread pattern similar to a footprint that was found at the crime scene.
Ludwig was then transported to the Tooele County Sheriff’s Office for an interview.
“During the interview, Elizabeth admitted to assisting Brandon with hiding the victim’s body and disposing of the victim’s personal belongings,” stated the release.
Ludwig was booked into the Tooele County Detention Center for investigation of obstruction of justice, while Zipperle was booked into the Tooele County Detention Center for investigation of murder and obstruction of justice.
