Woman Allegedly Murders And Buries Ex-Husband In Her Backyard, Files Missing Person's Report

A Minnesota woman allegedly murdered her ex-husband and claimed he went missing before police found the victim buried in her backyard.

Karina See Her, 40, was arrested and charged with second-degree murder Saturday after police found the body of 50-year-old Kou Yang under a shed in her backyard. Her first court appearance is scheduled for Tuesday.

The criminal complaint stated that on July 22, a 911 caller asked police to run a welfare check on Yang at a residence along Kennard Street in St. Paul, KSTP reported. The caller said that she had not seen Yang for weeks.

When responding officers visited the residence, Her told them that she did not know where her ex-husband was. Her and Yang lived in the same house even though they were divorced.

The 40-year-old told police that Yang might have left for Oklahoma, where his family lives because she had threatened to get an order for protection in place against him. The woman said that she was afraid of Yang, according to the complaint.

Her said Yang’s possessions were gone but he had left the pickup truck at her house. She told police that Yang left on June 30 and he had left the house many times in the past, the report said. The woman was then told to file a missing person report.

At around 4 p.m. that same day, Her called police and notified them that her ex-husband had been missing since July 1.

Roughly five hours after filing the report, Her’s 17-year-old daughter called and told police that she had not heard from Yang for several weeks. She told the officers that she had been staying at her friend’s house since June 29. On July 2, she returned home and when she asked her mother about Yang, she reportedly got angry. Her told the girl that they were moving to Milwaukee.

The girl told investigators that the security camera from the garage had been removed, according to the complaint. The girl said that her 12-year-old sister texted her, "Mommy is suspicious" after police left their home.

Her allegedly took the siblings to the woods, where she left a trash bag with an unknown object inside, the complaint stated. The 17-year-old told the investigators that it was “out of character” for Yang to be away for so many days and that she believed he was buried in the garden.

The girl told investigators that when she came home on July 2, she saw a hole had been dug in her backyard where plants were previously growing. She said she did not see what was inside. Within few days, Her built a shed over it.

A neighbor told police that they noticed a bad smell coming from Her’s garden.

After police found Yang’s work vehicle in a storage facility on July 28, they executed a search warrant at the residence. A cadaver dog found signs of decomposition or blood near the shed. Her was then arrested. She reiterated her previous story to the investigators that she didn't know of Yang's whereabouts.

Police later discovered blood spatter on one of the bedroom walls of the residence, which was recently painted over. Investigators found more blood in the garage and the laundry room, the Star Tribune reported.

On July 31, the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension (BCA) crime scene investigators found a human body in the backyard of the residence. The next day, the Ramsey County Medical Examiner completed an autopsy and identified it as Yang.

The body had two bullet wounds to the back of the head and the death was ruled homicide.