48 Hours on ID: What happened to Bart and Krista Halderson?

Bart and Krista Halderson
Bart and Krista Halderson's lying son Chandler murdered and dismembered them before dumping the remains at various locations (Image via Gunderson Funeral Homes)

Bart and Krista Halderson, a working couple from Wisconsin, were reported missing by their 23-year-old son Chandler Halderson in July 2021, who informed authorities that they went to the family cabin for the Fourth of July holiday weekend with friends, but never returned. Investigators grew suspicious of the couple's son when his timeline of events failed to match that offered by multiple witnesses.

Using Chandler's Snapchat location from his girlfriend's phone, invesitgators were able to track him to a remote location near the Wisconsin River where human remains, belonging to his mother Krista, were found days later. Bart's remains were found a few miles away from their house. He died of gunshot wounds, and both their bodied were dismembered before being dumped at various locations.

An all-new episode of 48 Hours on ID is slated to revisit the harrowing murders of Bart and Krista Halderson. The episode, titled The Snapchat Clue, will air on the channel this Monday, May 8, at 10:00 pm ET. The synopsis of the upcoming episode states:

"After married couple Krista and Bart Halderson suddenly disappears, clues on the social media app Snapchat point to a culprit that no one would ever suspect."

Authorities tracked Bart and Krista Halderson's younger son Chandler using his Snapchat location as a key lead

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Detectives from the Dane County Sheriff's Office were tasked with looking into the disappearance of Windsor, Wisconsin, residents Bart and Krista Halderson in July 2021. The couple's 23-year-old son Chandler Halderson reported them missing on July 7, informing the police that they went to the family cabin for the Fourth of July holiday weekend with some friends, but never returned.

Both Bart, 50, and Krista, 53, were working parents of two sons Mitchell, who worked in tech, and Chandler, who was a college student majoring in information technology and lived at home. Their disappearance seemed strange given that things were working out just fine for their family.

Reports state that while investigating the missing case, authorities interviewed their neighbors, friends, and family and eventually got a break from their younger son's girlfriend, Cathryn "Cat" Mellender, after she allowed them to access her phone data. Cat allegedly kept tabs on Chandler using Snapchat because he had previously cheated on her.

As per a screenshot on the girlfriend's phone, authorities learned that the app had placed Chandler at a remote location somewhere near the Wisconsin River early on July 3. The app placed him at that remote location sometime around the time his parents were missing. Detectives conducted a search in that area and found human remains, belonging to Krista Halderson.

According to CBS, some of Bart Halderson's body parts were discovered at a farm located about 20 miles away from their family home. The farm owner informed authorities that she had seen Chandler on her property. She allegedly spotted him coming out of the farm's wood line where they found Bart's remains. He was shot at least twice in the back.


Evidence showed that human bones were found in the fireplace at Bart and Krista Halderson's house

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Chandler Halderson was charged with his parents, Bart and Krista Halderson's murders. In addition, he was charged of dismembering their bodies and lying to the law enforcement. He pleaded not guilty to all charges against him.

During his January 2022 trial, prosecutors alleged that the 23-year-old murdered his parents because they found out he had been lying to them. Evidence showed that he had flunked out of college and lied to them about made-up job opportunities as SpaceX.

Chandler's father allegedly set up a meeting for the two of them at the college he claimed to be attending on the day he killed his parents. Additionally, a forensic expert later testified that the fireplace at their family home had more than 200 pieces of human bone. He was found guilty and sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole.


Bart and Krista Halderson's murder and dismemberment case will feature on 48 Hours on ID this Monday.

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Edited by Susrita Das
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