2 Suspects Charged for Dismembering Vietnamese American Man, GoFundMe Created for Surviving Family
EDITOR’S NOTE: The details of this article include information that some readers may find distressing.
New details about a Vietnamese American man in Indiana whose body was found dismembered were released on Tuesday.
The original report: Shane Nguyen, 55, was found dead in a crashed car in the 1500 block of Forest Park Boulevard in Fort Wayne on April 25, according to WANE, which first reported about it on April 26.
- Nguyen was last seen as he was leaving the Allen County Memorial Coliseum around 3 p.m. on April 23, according to the Fort Wayne Police Department.
- On April 24, authorities announced Nguyen was missing and issued a Silver Alert for him. Around 5 a.m. on April 25, officers pursued Nguyen’s stolen vehicle in the Lake and Coliseum area and later found it abandoned and crashed into the back of a home.
- The male suspects, Matthew J. Cramer, 21; Jacob D. Carreon-Hamilton, 20; and Cody Clements, 20; were arrested and all in custody on the evening of April 26. Clements turned himself in.
- The original report stated: “Police found Nguyen inside, who died at the scene. It’s not clear who was driving the vehicle.”
Confirmed gruesome details: Police found a dismembered body stuffed in trash bags inside the van, reported Fort Wayne’s NBC.
- Surveillance video also showed Carreon-Hamilton driving the van with Cramer around 11 p.m. at a storage facility in Fort Wayne.
- Officers used a search warrant for the storage unit, where they found a bloodied tarp and a large knife with Nguyen’s belongings.
- Cramer told police he asked Nguyen for a ride from Elkhart to Fort Wayne and planned to kill him before reaching the latter city, according to the affidavit.
- While at the storage unit, Cramer put Nguyen in a chokehold until he was unconscious. Nguyen’s head hit the concrete as Cramer dragged his body out of the van and into the storage unit.
- The trio drove to stores in Goshen to buy tarps, a hacksaw, hacksaw blades, a plastic tub, two shovels and a large knife, using money stolen from Nguyen, according to police.
- Carreon-Hamilton held Nguyen’s body down while Clements dismembered Nguyen’s body, reported Newsweek.
- Cramer and Carreon-Hamilton dropped off Clements before returning to Fort Wayne to “get rid of the body.” That’s when police started chasing them.
- Carreon-Hamilton claimed he had no idea what happened until they went to the storage unit.
- Cramer appeared in Allen Superior Court on Tuesday and charged with murder, resisting law enforcement and abuse of a corpse. Carreon-Hamilton is charged with resisting law enforcement, assisting a criminal, and abuse of a corpse. Clements has no charges as of this writing.
- Cramer is in the Allen County Jail, held without bond on the murder charge. Carreon-Hamilton remains in the Allen County Jail on a $15,000 bond.
Grieving Nguyen family: Nguyen’s cousin, Tran Hoang, organized a GoFundMe page for Nguyen family has raised over $140,000 of its $20,000 goal in a day as of this writing.
- Nguyen leaves behind his wife and two sons Ethan and Noah, ages 20 and 17.
- He was described as a devoted father, husband and community member.
- “He’ll always be remembered for being kind, welcoming, and available to help anyone in need,” Hoang wrote.
Featured Image via ABC21 WPTA
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