‘I had to’ve snapped’: Michigan man kills and dismembers his Grindr date, thought it was all a ‘dream’

A Bay City, Michigan, man is headed to trial nearly a year after prosecutors say he strangled and dismembered a school custodian he met on the dating app Grindr.

Robert Dale Tweedly Jr., 41, is charged with open murder and disinterment/mutilation of a body in the death of 41-year-old Justie Stilwell, a custodian at T.L. Handy Middle School. Tweedly remains jailed on a $1 million bond.

How they met and what Tweedly told police

Investigators say Grindr records and surveillance video showed Stilwell left home on Saturday, September 14, 2024, to meet a user whose handle traced back to Tweedly’s Bay City address. In subsequent interviews, Tweedly told detectives they initially met up to “talk” but at some point, he pushed Stilwell down the basement stairs and strangled him, saying he “had to’ve snapped.” According to Tweedly, he was drunk and on methamphetamines when the attack happened.

“I remember bits and pieces about it. I just thought it was a dream because I woke up on the couch the next day and everything was back to normal. The house was clean. So I just thought it was a big old nightmare,” Tweedly told police.

Stilwell’s head, foot, and torso were later found

Four days after the meetup, on Wednesday, September 18, a teenager noticed a human foot in the Saginaw River near a Bay City boat launch and alerted her grandfather, who called 911. Police recovered additional limbs in the water; later that week, investigators located a head and torso at a separate Bay City location. Stilwell, reported missing that same day, was identified by fingerprints. His vehicle was also found parked across from the boat launch. 

According to court documents, digital evidence from Grindr, surveillance footage, and a subsequent search warrant at Tweedly’s home guided detectives to the suspect. During interviews summarized in court filings, Tweedly said he attempted to move Stilwell’s body but couldn’t, left to buy items at Walmart to cut up Stilwell, and later disposed of the remains at different sites. Police arrested Tweedly on September 25, and he was arraigned two days later.

Tweedly is now bound over for trial

After months of forensic work and pretrial competency evaluations, a Bay County judge ruled on January 30, 2025, that Tweedly is competent to stand trial. On Tuesday, August 26, 2025, following a lengthy preliminary examination, the case was sent to circuit court. Prosecutors said they anticipate additional motions before a jury is chosen. As of August 28, 2025, Tweedly remains in custody awaiting circuit-court proceedings.