Dixie Leigh Schroeder

Dixie Leigh Schroeder, a 35-year-old White female known to loved ones as “Diz,” was a resident of Havre, Montana, with a fierce passion for animals. She grew up in nearby Harlem and dedicated much of her energy to rescuing abandoned animals and bettering the lives of every creature she encountered. Her family remembered her as a soul who was not afraid to express herself and who encouraged others to do the same.

On the afternoon of May 7, 2025, a house cleaner arrived at Dixie’s townhouse on the 300 block of 14th Avenue. Finding the door locked, she let herself in and noticed that some things seemed out of place. When she looked into the bathroom, she made a devastating discovery and called 911. Responding officers from the Havre Police Department found Dixie deceased on the bathroom floor. Based on the scene, which included a large amount of blood and a spent gun cartridge in an adjacent room, investigators immediately suspected foul play. A coroner estimated she had been dead for at least 36 hours.

The Havre Police Department, along with the Hill County Sheriff’s Office and the Montana Division of Criminal Investigation, launched a homicide investigation. A person of interest was quickly identified as Cody Rencurel, Dixie’s 35-year-old boyfriend. According to a witness, the couple was in the process of breaking up, and Rencurel had been living in the basement of the residence. Investigators learned Dixie was last seen alive on May 2. Security footage from a neighbor’s camera showed Rencurel leaving the back of the home that same day, appearing to carry a laundry basket.

With Dixie’s vehicle missing from the property, investigators tracked the use of her bank card, which had been used approximately 19 times since May 5, primarily in Coeur d'Alene, Idaho. Local authorities in Idaho located Dixie’s vehicle in a hotel parking lot and began surveillance. On May 8, 2025, detectives saw a man matching Rencurel’s description exit the hotel and took him into custody. The Hill County Attorney’s Office had already secured a warrant for his arrest on a charge of deliberate homicide. A subsequent search of his property uncovered evidence that police believed was connected to the murder and suggested additional violent crimes may have been planned.

Following his arrest, Cody Rencurel was charged with the shooting death of Dixie Schroeder. He initially pleaded not guilty. However, in a later appearance in Hill County District Court, Rencurel changed his plea to guilty on one count of deliberate homicide. With his admission of guilt, the case will not proceed to trial. As of his plea, Rencurel’s sentencing was scheduled for March 16.