Man Arrested After Woman Is Found Beheaded On Minnesota Sidewalk

Detectives in Minnesota arrested a man this week on suspicion of second-degree murder following the discovery of a local woman found stabbed to death — reportedly beheaded — on a residential sidewalk.

The Shakopee Police Department said in a news release that they responded on Wednesday to a call regarding a stabbing incident at the intersection of Fourth Avenue and Spencer Street. 

The body of America Mafalda Thayer, a 55-year-old Shakopee resident, was found with stab wounds, police said. Thayer was pronounced dead at the scene. According to a report from Minneapolis/St. Paul station KMSP, Thayer’s severed head was discovered lying next to her body on the sidewalk. 

Officers at the scene discovered a sheath for a large knife in a nearby yard and a trash bin in an alley, according to KMSP. 

Shakopee Police said in the release that officers were able to quickly apprehended 42-year-old Alexis Saborit on suspicion of second-degree murder. Saborit, who is also a Shapokee resident, is being held in the Scott County Jail pending charges, police said. 

Witnesses discussed the horrific attack with the local media.

“I thought I saw a body on the pavement, but I wasn’t overly sure,” neighbor Carol Erath told Minneapolis/St. Paul ABC affiliate KSTP. “It’s shocking, I just couldn’t believe somebody would be so brutal to somebody else.”

Saborit knew Thayer and the stabbing wasn’t a random act, Shakopee police said. 

Colleagues of Thayer told KMSP that she worked at MyPillow and at a local Dollar Tree store and that she and Saborit were in a long-term relationship. They alleged that Saborit was abusive. 

Faith Howie, a neighbor of Thayer, told the station that she’d arrived at her door around 2 a.m. around a month ago. 

“She goes, 'Can I sleep here tonight? I'm afraid he is going to get up and start in again,” Howie recalled. 

Saborit was convicted on domestic assault charges in 2017, Minnesota court records show. He is reportedly now facing arson charges after being accused of attempting to torch his apartment last year. On those charges, he was released on a $50,000 bond.

A phone call placed on Friday afternoon by Oxygen.com to the Shakopee Police Department was not immediately returned. Formal charges were expected to be filed against Saborit today. 

Anyone with information concerning this event may contact the Shakopee Police Department at 952-233-9400