Dakota Van Patten‘s trial is underway in Linn County, Iowa, for the brutal 2024 murder of Melody Hoffman. Prosecutors allege Van Patten, an accomplice in the crime, sent Snapchat photos of himself wearing Hoffman’s glasses to friends after killing her. Now, evidence has emerged that she was pregnant.
In February 2024, prosecutors say Van Patten, now 19, and others lured Hoffman, who was 20 when she died, to Morgan Creek Park in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. Once there, prosecutors allege she was ambushed, restrained with duct tape, and strangled with paracord, or parachute cord, before her body was likely moved and dumped near Lily Lake in Amana Colonies, Iowa, about 20 miles away from Cedar Rapids.
