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Man indicted for murder with U.P. connection

YANKTON, S.D. — A Yankton man has been indicted in South Dakota in the death and dismemberment of a woman whose remains were discovered March 16 in Menominee County in the Upper Peninsula.

A Yankton County grand jury indicted Stephen Falkenberg, 45, on second-degree murder and first-degree manslaughter. Bail earlier had been set at $1 million.

Second-degree murder in South Dakota carries a penalty of mandatory life in prison if convicted. First-degree manslaughter can be up to life in prison.

Prosecutors say Falkenberg killed Tamara LaFramboise, 46, in Yankton during an argument when he pushed her into a wall and she hit her head.

Falkenberg then drove to Menominee County, where he grew up, and discarded LaFramboise’s dismembered body in the Little River, near his brother’s property, according to court documents.

Authorities said two boys discovered part of LaFramboise’s body while walking their dog March 16. Her head, hands and feet have yet to be recovered; police had to use tattoos on her body to identify LaFramboise.

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