CLARK, S.D. (KELO) — People in the town of Clark are coming to terms with the loss of a friendly face in the community.
On Tuesday, Marlene Fladland was found dead in the front yard of her home. Her son is charged with murdering her.
36-year-old Bowen Fladland is the man accused of killing his mother, Marlene. Court documents say he kneeled on her neck until she died and later cut off her head.
Police tape still surrounds the home where Marlene Fladland was found dead. As news of the crime spread through Clark, those who knew Marlene were stunned.
“I was just devastated. I mean, just to hear about something like that, it gave me the creeps. I was very unsettled. I hard time sleeping that night,” Clark resident Sandy Herrick said.
“Stuff like this just doesn’t happen in a small community like this, and it’s kind of shocking,” Clark resident Rob McGraw said.
McGraw is the former Clark County Sheriff. He says this crime is up there with some of the devastating things he saw during his time in law enforcement.
“From what I know about it, this is probably one of the worst ones,” McGraw said.
While there’s still a little bit of shock in town, the people who knew Marlene describe her as a loving and caring person.
Marlene’s neighbor, Sandy Herrick, got to see that kindness firsthand.
“She was such a sweet person,” Herrick said. “When I walked by, she would always say ‘Hi’ to me, and I’d say, ‘How are you doing today?’ And she’d say, ‘Good.'”
Herrick will treasure the conversations she had with Marlene.
“She always said, ‘Do you want a flower?’ And I said, ‘No, the flowers look good at your place. I have flowers. I want to see your flowers at your place,'” Herrick said.
Now, the people of Clark will have to find a way to move forward.
Bowen Fladland is being held in the Codington County Jail on a $500,000 cash only bond. Court documents say this wasn’t the first time he’d assaulted his mother.
