2 weeks Ago By Olivia Estright
ROCHESTER — A Rochester man accused of third-degree murder and concealing a body in 2022 entered a guilty plea on Tuesday, April 15. Timothy Daniel Loftus, 43, was charged with third-degree murder related to selling controlled substances and concealing a dead body, both felony counts. ADVERTISEMENT Tia Mercedes Arleth was found June 17, 2022, in a northeast Olmsted County field underneath a tarp secured around her with rope, a tie-down strap and duct tape.
She was reported missing June 12, 2022, and was last seen at the end of May that year. Loftus is accused of providing Arleth heroin and fentanyl, leading to her death, then hiding her body after she died. Loftus was also facing charges in two other criminal cases filed in 2022.
In the guilty plea entered on Tuesday, April 15, Loftus pleaded guilty to concealing a body and a second-degree controlled substance crime in a previous case. The plea suggests an executed sentence of eight years and four months. If the court accepts the plea, the remaining charges will be dismissed.
The plea petition was filed as a joint agreement, which requires the court to sentence the defendant to the terms in the plea petition. A sentencing hearing is scheduled for July 7. ADVERTISEMENT According to the criminal complaint, Arleth’s autopsy listed her cause of death as undetermined due to the badly decomposed state of her body.
"However, the autopsy revealed no apparent fractures or bullet holes, and the postmortem toxicology tests were positive for the presence of fentanyl in Arleth’s system," the complaint said. Arleth's mother told investigators that she took Arleth to Loftus' Rochester home on May 29, 2022, which was the last time she had contact with Arleth. A witness told investigators that Loftus had disappeared for several days after May 29 and identified a dolly cart belonging to Loftus found where Arleth's body was discovered.
Law enforcement found duct tape and rope in Loftus' garage that matched those found on Arleth's body, according to the criminal complaint. Another witness told law enforcement that he went to Loftus' residence June 9, 2022, and that Loftus told him that Loftus had provided heroin and fentanyl to Arleth, and that she died as a result of ingesting those substances, according to the criminal complaint. Loftus also told that person that Arleth's body was located in a trailer near his residence.
The witness noted that a blue tarp was in the trailer. Video from a doorbell camera shows Loftus' vehicle hooking up to that trailer containing a blue tarp the morning of June 9 and leaving, according to the criminal complaint. About 90 minutes later, the trailer is seen again in front of Loftus' home, without the blue tarp.
ADVERTISEMENT Loftus' cellphone data from June 9 show that he traveled from his home in Rochester to the location where Arleth's body was found and that he stopped in that area for around nine to 10 minutes, the criminal complaint said. The Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension assisted with the processing of the scene, as well as evidence collection..
