July 22, 2025:
A 34 year old man from Clark has pleaded not guilty (July 21, 2025) to charges that he murdered his mother and cut her head off.
Bowen Fladland is being held in the Codington County Jail on $500,000 cash-only bond for the July 5, 2025, murder of 70 year old Marlene Fladland. Authorities discovered her decapitated body under a sheet in front of her home in Clark.
Bowen Fladland’s trial is scheduled to begin Nov. 13, 2025.
The case is being prosecuted by the South Dakota Attorney General’s Office and the Clark County State’s Attorney.
July 17, 2025:
A 34 year old man from Clark has been indicted (July 16, 2025) on a First-Degree Murder charge in connection with the death of his mother.
Bowen Fladland is accused in the July 5, 2025, murder of his mother, 70-year-old Marlene Fladland, at residence in Clark. He’s being held in the Codington County Jail on a $500,000 cash bond.
Fladland’s next hearing is scheduled for Monday afternoon (July 21 at 1:30pm). He faces a mandatory sentence of life in prison without the possibility of parole if found guilty.
South Dakota’s Division of Criminal Investigation is leading the investigation with the assistance of the Clark Police Department. The case will be prosecuted by the Attorney General’s Office and the Clark County State’s Attorney’s Office.
Fladland is presumed innocent under the U.S. Constitution.
July 10, 2025:
Formal charges have been filed against a Clark man in connection with the death of his mother, whose body was discovered in the front yard of a residence on July 8, 2025. Bowen Jay Fladland, 36, of Clark, faces charges of Murder in the First Degree and Murder in the Second Degree in the death of Marlene Fladland.
According to a probable cause affidavit filed in Clark County, law enforcement responded to 601 N Cloud St in Clark on July 8, 2025, where they located Marlene Fladland, deceased. A relative of Marlene’s reported having spoken with her on July 5, 2025, at 10:02 AM, at which time Marlene stated Bowen Fladland had assaulted her. Bowen Fladland resided with Marlene.
South Dakota Division of Criminal Investigation Special Agent Tasha Vohlken stated in the affidavit that Fladland was located in Watertown and agreed to speak with agents at the Watertown Police Department. During an interview, the probable cause affidavit directly states: “Fladland admitted to assaulting his mother, kneeling on her neck until she was apparently deceased and then used a tool to remove her head.”
The charges allege that on or about July 5, 2025, in Clark County, Bowen Jay Fladland killed Marlene Fladland. The First Degree Murder charge, a Class A Felony, states the act was committed with a premeditated design to effect her death. The Second Degree Murder charge, a Class B Felony, alleges the killing occurred by an act imminently dangerous to others and evincing a depraved mind, without regard for human life.
Bond has been set at $500,000 cash only.
July 9, 2025, update:
A 34 year old man from Clark, SD, has been charged with First-Degree Murder and Second-Degree Murder in connection with the death of his mother, who was also from Clark.
Attorney General Marty Jackley says Bowen Fladland has been accused of causing the death of Marlene Fladland.
Marlene Fladland’s body was discovered July 8, 2025, but Jackley says they believe the death occurred prior to that date.
Jackley says the investigation into the death is ongoing.
Fladland is being held at the Codington County Jail in Watertown.
He is presumed innocent under the U.S. Constitution.
July 9, 2025:
A 34 year old man from Clark has been charged with First-Degree Murder and Second-Degree Murder in the death of a Clark resident Tuesday (July 8, 2025).
Bowen Fladland, 34, was arrested Tuesday after a deceased female was found at a Clark residence. He is being held in Codington County Jail in Watertown.
“The suspect and the victim knew each other, and there is no threat to the public,” said Attorney General Marty Jackley. “We ask the public to stay away from the crime scene so a thorough investigation can be done.”
South Dakota’s Division of Criminal Investigation (DCI) is leading the investigation with the assistance of the Clark Police Department. The case will be prosecuted by the Attorney General’s Office and the Clark County State’s Attorney’s Office.
The defendant is presumed innocent under the U.S. Constitution.
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