Minnesota man allegedly knocked out ex’s teeth and destroyed her jaw before she died from injuries

KELLOGG, Minn. (TCN) -- A 44-year-old man is in custody on suspicion of beating his ex-girlfriend to death and hiding in a tree to avoid arrest.

According to the Wabasha County Sheriff’s Office, on June 18, deputies received a report of a severely injured woman, 36-year-old Melissa Hunt, and she was transported to a hospital. Per KSTP-TV, Hunt drove into the reporting party’s driveway and was missing multiple teeth and a portion of her jaw.

Hunt allegedly told officials her ex-boyfriend, Craig Hameister, struck her with a stick near a boat launch, and she described his vehicle. Hunt later succumbed to her injuries at the hospital.

According to KSTP, authorities located Hameister’s truck near a home in Olmsted County, as well as a 9 mm round on the floor. The residents reportedly told police Hameister arrived in a "very frantic" state, and he said, "Something bad happened." Hameister allegedly told an occupant in the home that law enforcement would arrive before he fled on a motorcycle.

According to court documents reviewed by KSTP, authorities found Hameister in Olmstead County. He allegedly climbed a tree to avoid arrest, but officials took him into custody following an hourslong standoff. Hameister remains held in the Wabasha County Jail and faces charges of second-degree murder.

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