By Lori EhdeA Rock County Highway Department employee made a gruesome discovery in a ditch near Beaver Creek Tuesday that turned out to be a big break in a Sioux Falls murder case.Luverne’s Keith Schmuck and Lana Henrichs were doing routine county road and ditch maintenance when they decided to pick up a bag of garbage they’d noticed earlier near Beaver Creek.That garbage turned out to be the dismembered remains of 42-year-old Sioux Falls homicide victim Darlene VanderGiesen. She was first reported missing on Feb. 3, and parts of her body were later found in a Sioux Falls landfill.After weeks of searching, authorities hadn’t recovered her entire remains.… Until Tuesday.At about 2:30 p.m. Schmuck approached what he thought was garbage in the west ditch of County Road 6. He noticed a human hand protruding from what appeared to be a blanket wrapped around the shape of a body.He called the Rock County Sheriff’s Department, who secured the area and called the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension and other nearby law enforcement agencies.On closer inspection, authorities found remains of the upper torso of a female body.With the VanderGiesen case still fresh in investigators’ minds, it didn’t take long to connect the remains to the Sioux Falls case.Investigators called Schmuck’s discovery "a significant break in the case." They said without Tuesday’s happenings, they would have never had reason to broaden their investigation into Minnesota.Rock County Sheriff Mike Winkels said it was satisfying to be able to assist Sioux Falls with the case."It brings some closure to some of the issues Sioux Falls had and, of course, that the family has had," Winkels said.He said that beyond finding the evidence, the casework belonged to South Dakota."When we discovered what we discovered, we immediately went into securing-the-scene mode," Winkels said."Once we established that it was a Sioux Falls case, we let their crime lab take over."Schmuck said he has mixed feelings about his involvement in the case.On one hand, he said he’s happy to have facilitated the break in the case and provided some relief for the VanderGiesen family. "I’m happy they’ll have some closure," he said.On the other hand, he’s now found himself involved in the investigation."I suppose that’s all part of being a public servant," he said. About a month ago, he said he found a car in the ditch that turned out to be stolen.Winkels agreed it’s contributed to crime in Rock County, particularly due to the proximity of the state border."The interstate is noted for transportation of illegal goods — drugs, particularly," he said. "It is convenient for criminals or anybody, really, because of easy access."Later on Tuesday, Schmuck reflected on the events of the day.He said Henrichs waited in the truck while Schmuck went to retrieve what he thought was garbage. "I told Lana ‘That’s not a bag of garbage; there’s a body in there,’ and she wouldn’t believe me," Schmuck said.When Henrichs realized he was serious, Schmuck said she made the call to police. He said garbage pickup in ditches is a routine part of his job, but he shared that this particular dumpsite had a different, "eerie" feeling from the start.He first noticed what he thought was a garbage bag about two weeks ago and has been meaning to pick it up or send someone else to get it.But every time it came to his attention, something else would come up and he’d make a mental note to get it later. "I can’t understand it," he said, "but every day I thought about it, and it bothered me."Schmuck admits it will take some time before he doesn’t look twice at garbage in a ditch."I even think about Cory (his son who works for the City of Luverne) and what he’ll find running the garbage truck."He said he’s always known it was possible he’d uncover something morbid in a garbage bag tossed in the ditch. "I guess today was the day."Schmuck is a Vietnam War veteran and said his combat background is helping him to cope with the experience.While the body remains found in Rock County solve a major part of the VanderGiesen case, authorities said the Minnesota connection will require further investigation.Daphne Wright, 42, has pleaded not guilty to a murder charge. She had reportedly been upset with VanderGiesen for interfering with Wright’s relationship with another woman.