New charges filed against northern Iowa man accused of murder

ELMA, Iowa (KCRG) - A man from northern Iowa is facing new charges, on top of the first degree murder charge he already faces.

Sayvonne Jordan, 26, of Elma, now also faces charges of going armed with intent and abuse of a corpse.

Court documents indicate Jordan mutilated or dismembered a corpse to try to conceal a crime in Howard County.

It’s in relation to the murder of Jonathan Esparza, a man from New Hampton who went missing on October 20. New Hampton Police said Esparza had gone to visit a friend in Elma.

The Howard County Sheriff’s Office says a search warrant served on November 20 led authorities to finding the remains.

Prosecutors filed the new charges on Monday.

Documents have not yet revealed the specifics of what happened.

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