Man charged in missing brother’s death after family members discovered human skull, authorities say

SPIRIT LAKE, N.D. (KVLY/Gray News) - A man is charged with second-degree murder in federal court after his family discovered his brother’s remains at their home on the Spirit Lake Reservation.

According to a criminal complaint filed Monday, 26-year-old D’Angelo James Hunt has been charged in connection with the death of his brother, Isaac Hunt, who had disappeared in 2024.

He was reported missing by family members on March 15, 2024, nearly two weeks after he was last seen. Multiple searches by law enforcement and community members over the past year and a half had not located him.

On Nov. 15, more than two years after Isaac Hunt’s disappearance, family members found what appeared to be a human skull. This led to the discovery of additional remains the following day.

The FBI’s Evidence Response Team recovered the remains, along with clothing and shoes consistent with what Isaac Hunt was last seen wearing before he went missing, according to the complaint filed in U.S. District Court for the District of North Dakota.

On Nov. 17, the Spirit Lake Nation confirmed in a Facebook press conference that the remains found were those of Isaac Hunt.

“Earlier today, those remains were officially confirmed to be those of Isaac Hunt,” said Vicki Alberts, Public Relations Representative, Spirit Lake Nation. “For nearly two years, Isaac’s family, along with neighbors and community members, carried the burden of searching, praying, and hoping. Their determination never wavered, even when the path was hard and lonely. Today’s confirmation, while offering some closure, brings a level of pain that no family should have to endure.”

DNA evidence links brothers to crime scene

Court documents reveal DNA evidence collected from the father’s residence linked both brothers to a violent altercation that occurred on March 3, 2024.

Blood found on a TV stand matched D’Angelo Hunt’s DNA profile, while blood recovered from the living room subfloor matched Isaac Hunt’s DNA.

Isaac Hunt’s DNA profile was 41 quintillion times more likely to be the contributor to the subfloor blood sample than an unknown, unrelated person, according to FBI laboratory analysis.

A special agent with the FBI wrote in the affidavit that carpet had been removed from the living room between early March searches and a follow-up visit on March 17, 2024. A burned carpet remnant with apparent blood stains was recovered during a search behind the residence.

Facebook videos captured final hours

Multiple witnesses reported seeing Facebook videos posted to Isaac Hunt’s account in the early morning hours of March 3, 2024, showing D’Angelo Hunt pacing back and forth while holding a knife.

In the videos, Isaac Hunt could be heard telling his brother to “chill out bro” and “relax,” according to witness statements.

The videos were recorded inside their father’s residence, where both brothers had been dropped off after spending time with friends earlier that evening.

Suspect gave conflicting accounts

D’Angelo Hunt initially told investigators in March 2024 that he and his brother “never really fought.”

However, D’Angelo Hunt received medical treatment at Spirit Lake Health Center on March 6, 2024, for a laceration to his left hand and told medical staff his brother had cut him with a knife on March 3.

When he first talked to investigators after his brother’s disappearance, he claimed a cut on his left hand was from an “accident.”

He later admitted that he and his brother had an argument and that his brother pulled a knife and cut him. But D’Angelo Hunt told investigators the argument had taken place on March 1.

Court documents also show D’Angelo Hunt gave conflicting accounts about when he last saw his brother and claimed to have given him $500 from a tax refund. Financial records showed Hunt’s tax refund was not received until March 6, 2024, with no cash withdrawals totaling $500.

Federal jurisdiction applies

The case falls under federal jurisdiction because both of the brothers are enrolled members of the Spirit Lake Tribe, and the alleged crime occurred on tribal land in Benson County.

D’Angelo Hunt is charged under Title 18, United States Code, Sections 1111 and 1153, which provide federal jurisdiction over “Indians who commit murder against another Indian in Indian country.”

The case is being investigated by the FBI’s Minneapolis Field Office, Grand Forks Resident Agency. D’Angelo Hunt is currently in custody at the Grand Forks County Corrections Center.