PLYMOUTH, MASS. (WHDH) - State Police have obtained an arrest warrant for murder after a grand jury indicted the man wanted for the vicious stabbing death of a 76-year-old woman, Plymouth County District Attorney Timothy J. Cruz announced Friday.

Tyler L. Hagmaier, 24, of Plymouth was charged with the death of his neighbor, Vibeke Rasmussen. Upon return of the indictment, State Police assigned to the Plymouth County District Attorney’s Office applied for and obtained an arrest warrant for Hagmaier.

Police were called to the apartments on Tideview Path in Plymouth for a well-being check around 1:00 p.m. on May 6, when they found Rasmussen dead with obvious trauma to her body. Plymouth Police immediately contacted State Police assigned to the Plymouth County District Attorney’s Office and an investigation was conducted.

An autopsy performed by the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner determined Ms. Rasmussen had been stabbed approximately 34 times. Through their investigation, State Police and Plymouth Police determined the sole suspect in the homicide to be Hagmaier, who lived across the hall from Ms. Rasmussen’s apartment in the same building.

Police contacted Hagmaier’s family in Western Massachusetts and responded to the area. At approximately 10:00 p.m. the night of the murder, Hagmaier’s car was found parked alongside the French King Bridge in Gill.

Two witnesses fishing off of the bridge that night made written statements to investigators that they saw and heard a large splash in the river at approximately the time when Hagmaier would have arrived at the bridge.

The District Attorney’s office said the investigation has determined that Hagmaier was the sole person responsible for Ms. Rasmussen’s death. Evidence of his responsibility for the murder included written admissions by Hagmaier recovered from a journal, as well as DNA evidence recovered from the murder scene, which was processed by the State Police Crime Lab. The DNA evidence included a sweatshirt and a cigarette butt recovered from Rasmussen’s apartment.

Evidence suggests Hagmaier jumped off the French King Bridge into the Connecticut River in an attempt to end his life on the night of Rasmussen’s murder.

The ongoing search for his body has been hampered by high water levels and extremely strong currents. State Police continue to search for Hagmaier.

The incident remains under investigation and prospective prosecution, pending confirmation that Hagmaier is dead. Anyone with any information on the case is urged to contact State Police at 508-947-8087.

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