Sweeping Digital Investigation Revealed in Isadora Wengel Murder Case

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Seven search warrants tied to the murder case of Isadora Wengel reveal the sweeping digital investigation West Fargo police conducted in the weeks following the 25-year-old's disappearance. The warrants, issued between Jan. 12 and Jan. 28, 2026, targeted accounts and records across six companies: Bumble, Snapchat, Yahoo, Verizon Wireless, T-Mobile, and Wells Fargo Bank. There is also a search warrant filed for a Minnesota-based therapy provider that Wengel had been seeing. Joshua Alexander Hite, 21, of Fargo, is charged with murder, tampering with physical evidence, and providing false information to law enforcement in connection with Wengel's death.

Why it matters

The extensive digital investigation highlights the growing role of technology in modern criminal cases, as police seek to piece together a victim's digital footprint and the suspect's online activities to build a comprehensive case. The warrants also reveal the level of cooperation required from tech companies to aid law enforcement in such high-profile investigations.

The details

The search warrants sought records from Wengel's Bumble dating account, her Rocketmail email address, Snapchat accounts for both Wengel and Hite, phone records from T-Mobile and Verizon Wireless, Wengel's bank records from Wells Fargo, and her therapy records from a Minnesota-based provider. Investigators were looking for account activity logs, messages, location data, photos, and other digital evidence that could help track Wengel's movements and communications leading up to and after her disappearance.

• The search warrants were issued between Jan. 12 and Jan. 28, 2026.
• Wengel was last seen on surveillance footage at a Fargo Walmart on Jan. 3, 2026.
• Wengel's family reported her missing on Jan. 7, 2026.
• Hite was arrested on Feb. 10, 2026.
• Hite's trial is scheduled to begin on May 13, 2026.

What’s next

Hite is scheduled to appear for a preliminary hearing on March 31, followed by a pre-trial conference on May 11. The trial is scheduled to begin on May 13. Fargo police continue to search for Wengel's body and a missing 27-gallon HDX black storage tote believed to be connected to her disappearance.