Father of Ole Miss student, 22, charged with murdering his 21-year-old female classmate whose body was found 'shot eight times' at a lake insists his son is innocent

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Brandon Theesfeld, 22, of Fort Worth, Texas, was led from the Lafayette County Courthouse by Major Alan Wilburn Tuesday afternoon after his arrest Monday

The father of an Ole Miss student who has been charged with murdering his 21-year-old female classmate says he knows his son is innocent.

Brandon Theesfeld, 22, was charged on Tuesday with murdering Alexandria 'Ally' Kostial after her body was found last weekend about 20 miles from the Ole Miss campus. 

The victim, who was from St. Louis, had reportedly been shot eight times. Her body was found by a police officer during a routine patrol near Sardis Lake on Saturday morning. 

Theesfeld, of Fort Worth, Texas, was arrested on Monday night and booked into the county jail.

He faced court on Tuesday wearing an orange prison jumpsuit with his hands cuffed and ankles shackled. 

Authorities have not revealed how Kostial died.

Theesfeld's father Daniel Theesfeld insisted on Tuesday that his son was innocent. 

'I know my son is innocent. And I have reasons to believe that I can't share anything now,' he said in a statement to WLBT. 

'But I would ask everybody to please give him the presumption of innocence until proven otherwise.' 

Brandon Theesfeld was led from the Lafayette County Courthouse on Tuesday afternoon. Wearing an orange prison jumpsuit, he was handcuffed with his ankles shackled

Theesfeld was arraigned in connection with the death of 21-year-old Alexandria 'Ally' Kostia

Ally Kostial, 21, was discovered Saturday morning near Sardis Lake in Mississippi and Lafayette County Sheriff's Department said they suspected foul play in her death. Brandon Theesfeld was arrested on suspicion of murder on Monday afternoon

Reports suggest Kostial was last seen on security footage outside a bar on Friday night. 

She went home around midnight, but it is understood she left her house again without her roommates hearing. Kostial was again spotted on surveillance video with Theesfeld at a convenience store not far from the lake where her body was found.  

It is not known if Ally was killed at the lake or if her body had been brought there. Police have not released a motive in the shooting or confirmed whether Theesfeld and Kostial knew each other.

The Lafayette County Sheriff's Department said on Monday that they suspected foul play in her death.

It is still not known if she was reported missing before her body was discovered. 

A spokesman at Ole Miss said Theesfeld, a student of business administration, had been suspended from the university. 

He appears to have been active on his Twitter account in the days following Kostial's death. 

Brandon was enrolled at the University of Mississippi in Oxford and has been suspended

Brandon's dad posted this picture to Facebook calling his son a 'gun tactile expert' 

Brandon Theesfeld was arrested on suspicion of murder on Monday afternoon

Sources close to the investigation have said Ally was shot eight times. She is understood to have been last seen on the security cameras outside a bar

It is not known if she was reported missing before her body was discovered near Sardis Lake

A map showing where Ally was found dead Saturday morning and her university campus

Kostial was studying for a bachelor's degree in marketing. 

Her father, Keith Kostial, posted on Facebook that his daughter had been attending summer school and teaching fitness classes at the university. 

He posted on Facebook to pay tribute to his daughter, writing: 'Yesterday, Saturday afternoon, we were visited by the Sunset Hills MO Police who communicated to us that our beautiful dear Alexandria (Ally) Kostial was the victim of a homicide.' 

'As of now, it is believed the crime happened in Lafayette County, MS.

'She had been attending summer school and teaching fitness classes at University of Mississippi, (Ole Miss) in Oxford, Mississippi.

'She was a 2016 Lindbergh High School graduate. She was only 21. Investigations are ongoing.'

Reports suggest she was seen on security footage from the bar, stopping in the doorway before walking off without going in and then heading home 

Ally is reported to have headed home around midnight, but it is understood she left her home again without her roommates hearing before being found dead Saturday morning 

Police say investigators with Lafayette County Sheriff's Department, The Mississippi Bureau of Investigations, The Mississippi Crime Lab Crime Scene Unit are actively working the case assisted by the University of Mississippi Police Department and The Oxford Police Department. 

Tributes started flowing in following news her body had been found.  

Friend Casey Nichole Hendrickson wrote on Facebook: 'Forever in my heart. We'll meet again someday my sweet angel.' 

Claudia Swyres posted pictures of Ally, adding: 'You will be missed dearly.' 

She later told DailyMail.com: 'This girl needs to get justice. She was such a fun person who would help anybody in need. She was so young, she had her whole life ahead of her.' 

Her friend Sammie Martin, who said she texted Ally Tuesday to tell her she loved her, told Fox2: '(She was) very spontaneous. She would do just about anything. She loved outdoors, she loved just hanging out with her friends, she was the person you always wanted to be around.'

Sammie added: 'I'm so grateful that I ended up sending that text because that was only like a few days ago, so I got to talk to her a few days before this horrible thing happened.' 

Margaret Illig, who also graduated Lindbergh High School with Ally in 2016, added: 'When I was around her, I just felt like my spirit being lifted.'  

Ally was understood to have been studying for a bachelor`s degree in marketing in the School of Business Administration. She was the president of the University of Mississippi Golf Club and a member of the Alpha Kappa Psi business fraternity, according to her social media pages

Ally, from St. Louis, had been attending summer school, her dad Keith said. 'Our beautiful dear Alexandria Kostial was the victim of a homicide', he wrote. They are pictured together 

Tragic Ally Kostial pictured as a youngster with her parents, Keith and Cindy and her brother

Witness Michelle Bramlett saw the authorities arrive Saturday morning. 

She told WMC5: 'I was sitting on the couch and saw the ambulance go by and was curious and went outside and then the next thing I know the coroner came by and two unmarked vehicles.' 

Ally was understood to have been studying for a bachelor`s degree in marketing in the School of Business Administration. 

She was the president of the University of Mississippi Golf Club and a member of the Alpha Kappa Psi business fraternity, according to her social media pages. 

The University of Mississippi paid tribute to Ally, calling her 'a valued member of our campus community'. 

Interim Chancellor Larry Sparks said in a statement: 'We are truly saddened by the death of Alexandria Kostial. 

'Ally was a valued member of our campus community. We extend our deepest sympathy to her family, friends, and classmates and stand ready to support them during this time. 

'We appreciate the work of the Lafayette County Sherriff's Department and Coroner as they conduct their investigation.' 

Anyone with information regarding this case is asked to call the Sheriff's Department 662-234-6421 or Crime Stoppers 662-234-8477.