Thomas Bortvit was 19 when he was killed on June 6, 2015. A graduate of Estherville Lincoln Central High School and a Criminal Justice student at Iowa Lakes Community College who worked in the Fareway meat department, Bortvit was lured by a former friend, 18-year-old Lee Christensen, who asked for a ride for a supposed broken-down truck. Christensen instead drove him to his grandfather’s farm in Emmet County, where Bortvit was shot multiple times, including twice in the head, and his body was placed in a pit on the property.

After the murder Christensen used Bortvit’s phone to text the woman they had both dated and abandoned Bortvit’s car on a residential street. When Bortvit didn’t return to work a community search began and investigators focused on Christensen. He confessed to his father, led authorities to the body, and was arrested the next day.

Christensen was charged with first-degree murder, the jury convicted him of second-degree murder after deliberation, and he was sentenced to 50 years in prison with $150,000 restitution ordered to the Bortvit family. The case left a profound impact on the Estherville community.

Did anyone in the area know Thomas, his routines, or have information about that June 2015 weekend?