The Murder of Bethany Ann Israel

Bethany Ann Israel was married to Josh Israel and approximately 17 to 18 weeks pregnant at the time of her death. On the evening of May 23, 2024, she went to her biological brother Jack Joseph Ball's home on Encina Path in Lakeville, Minnesota for dinner. She arrived at approximately 6:00 p.m.

Several hours passed without any word from Bethany. Family members grew concerned. At approximately 11:00 p.m., their mother drove to the Lakeville home to check on her. When she arrived she witnessed Ball tear out of the house. She entered the residence and found a large amount of blood. She called 911 immediately.

When Lakeville police arrived they found a bloody saw, a hatchet, multiple blood-covered large knives, and dismembered body parts inside the home. Investigators also discovered handwritten journals belonging to Ball in which he expressed anger that his sister was pregnant, writing that she was no longer innocent. Investigators stated there was no evidence to support any claim of wrongdoing by the victim and it remained unclear what he meant by those words.

Shortly after the initial 911 call, a Rosemount resident called police after their home security camera captured a man placing what appeared to be a body part on their front step. Officers responded and located Ball in the backyard of a neighboring residence. He was covered in blood and had a self-inflicted knife wound to his throat. He was transported to Regions Hospital and later placed under arrest. The Hennepin County Medical Examiner ruled Bethany's cause of death as complex homicidal violence.