Anthony Harris, a 60-year-old truck driver from Detroit, has been taken into custody for the brutal murder of Melody Fae Gooch, 57, also from Detroit. Her remains were discovered on Monday, scattered at the Interstate 90 Travel Center in Mitchell, South Dakota. Harris faces charges of second-degree murder and improper disposal of a body, as announced by Marty Jackley, the South Dakota Attorney General, and the Mitchell Police Department.
Investigations revealed that Gooch was repeatedly run over by an 18-wheeler. Subsequently, her body was dismembered and hidden beneath pallets at the travel center. According to court records, Gooch’s family reported that she and Harris were acquainted prior to her murder.
The police obtained Harris’s logbook reports from his employer, Transfinity Logistics, which indicated that he was near Mitchell, 22 miles east/northeast, at around 6:50 p.m. on Sunday, March 10, and stopped his vehicle at 7:05 p.m. The logbook entries correspond to the location and time frame of the alleged crime at the Travel Center parking lot.
The circumstances surrounding Gooch’s death are gruesome. The Mitchell police were called to the scene following reports of human entrails found in the parking lot, accompanied by significant blood spatter indicative of a person being hit and dragged by a large vehicle. Later, her head was discovered in a bag at the location.
Surveillance footage from the travel center showed a semi-truck moving suspiciously in the parking lot for about 30 minutes. The truck was observed leaving the area around 6:06 p.m., heading westbound on I-90. Harris was identified as the driver of the same vehicle captured on camera at the truck stop.
Jackley commended the collaborative efforts of law enforcement, stating, “We were able, through additional good police work, looking at videos, further efforts, including working with officials from other states, make a determination and arrive at a point where we were able to, (Thursday), get search warrants, arrest warrants and ultimately put suspect Anthony Harris in custody.”
The Mitchell Police Department is urging anyone who may have seen or known the deceased in the Mitchell area between Saturday, March 9, and Monday, March 11, to contact them at (605) 995-8400.
