Pregnant Woman Whose Body Was Found Burned In Minneapolis Identified

MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) -- The pregnant woman whose body was found severely burned in a trailer last week in Minneapolis has been identified.

The Hennepin County Medical Examiner's Office identified the victim as 28-year-old Annysa Zierhut of Minneapolis. Her body was found on Nov. 8 in a travel trailer near the intersection of 35th South and Hennepin avenues. The child she was carrying also died.

Jade Monet Rissell, 27, and Shannon Michael Benson, 42, are charged in the killings. They face murder charges in the death of Zierhut and her child. Both are currently in the Hennepin County Jail.

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According to a criminal complaint, Rissell lured the victim over Facebook to the trailer a week before the fire. Rissell told investigators she beat Zierhut with brass knuckles, knocking her unconscious. She and Benson then left the victim in the trailer for a few days before moving it near 35th and Hennepin to burn it.

People close to Zierhut reported her missing on Oct. 31. According to the complaint, Rissell admitted to lighting the trailer on fire in an attempt to cover up the body.

If convicted of the murder charges, both Rissell and Benson face decades behind bars.