A man who was a beacon of positivity to everyone he met had his life ended by one of those he loved most, police say.
Daniel Halseth, the ex-husband of former Nevada state Senator Elizabeth Helgelien, was found dead in his Las Vegas home. Daniel was discovered after a family friend checked on the home and found a gruesome scene. Investigators quickly determined that a fire had been set intentionally in the home in an attempt to hide his body.
Police suspect that Daniel fell victim to his teenage daughter and her boyfriend. Sierra Halseth, 16, and her 18-year-old boyfriend, Aaron Guerrero, were arrested in Salt Lake City and extradited back to Las Vegas, where the fight for justice will begin.
On April 9, police say, Sierra Halseth and Aaron Guerrero made a decision that would change their lives forever. The two made a run for it after allegedly killing Sierra's father, 45-year-old Daniel Halseth. Daniel is the ex-husband of former Nevada state Senator Elizabeth Helgelien, whom he shares three children with, including Sierra.
Daniel had been out of town for 10 days. Prior to that, he'd argued with his daughter about how he didn't want her to date Aaron. Daniel's mother tried getting in touch with him when he was due back, but she had no luck. She contacted a family friend, who promised to follow up.
That family friend called Sierra after failing to reach Daniel. Sierra told the family friend that her father was in the shower and had broken his phone, which is why he wasn't answering calls. She promised to have him call back, which he didn't. The family friend followed up several more times before Sierra started avoiding the friend's calls as well.
The family friend then went to Daniel's house and discovered the front door open. It was then that the friend discovered his burned body and called authorities.
When they arrived at the scene, police found a chainsaw, a circular saw, and a handsaw inside the home. The hand saw was allegedly covered in blood, with human tissue recovered from in between the teeth of the saw.
Police also discovered bloody knives. They believe Daniel was stabbed to death before Sierra and Aaron attempted to dismember him. When that proved difficult, police say, the teens moved on to trying to burn the body.
"There had been items purchased, such as lighter fluid, that was used to light the fire Lieutenant Ray Spencer told KLAS.
"There was also the purchase of a chainsaw and a circular saw and a handsaw, where attempts to dismember his body were made prior to the fire."
"Through the investigation, we have been able to determine from surveillance video at various local big box stores where those items were purchased, where we have them on video surveillance, both of them purchasing different items, from the chainsaw to the bleach and items that were used to clean up the crime scene," he continued.
"There is surveillance video and receipts, indicating when the items were purchased here locally that were used in the cover up of the crime.
"It's definitely disturbing when you have such young … a young man and a young woman that are being accused of such a horrific crime."
Sierra apparently stole money from her father and his car for her and Aaron to make their escape. They were discovered and arrested in Salt Lake City, Utah, on April 13. It's believed the two had planned to run away together prior to the crime, which Daniel was opposed to.
Both Sierra and Aaron will be tried as adults, according to Nevada law. Both are facing murder charges as their families struggle to understand how this could have happened.
