PAYNESVILLE, Minn. - A search warrant has revealed a possible motive for a Paynesville man charged with killing his grandparents.
A search warrant, filed Tuesday afternoon, lists what evidence investigators collected from the Paynesville home of Willie and Gloria Scheel. The two were found dead in their vehicle in rural Kandiyohi County on March 22.
Their grandson, 33-year-old Greg Scheel, was found walking about a half mile from where the vehicle was located and taken into custody.
In the warrant, authorities wrote investigators spoke to Greg Scheel.
"Before requesting an attorney he advised this had something to do with a drug debt," the warrant reads. At the time of his arrest, according to the warrant, Greg Scheel was carrying a small cooler which contained a variety of items, including rope and matches.
An autopsy revealed that Willie, 93, died of asphyxiation from a plastic bag being placed over his head. Gloria, 80, was strangled by having an electrical cord wrapped around her neck. Both were found dead inside the vehicle under a piece of carpet. The criminal complaint states the car smelled like it had been doused in gasoline, and parts of the interior were charred and covered with soot.
The warrant also states Greg Scheel was in possession of drug paraphernalia.
Greg Scheel remains in jail on two counts of murder.
