Homicide investigation underway in Blue Earth County
UPDATE 1/13 at 8:30 p.m.: The suspect in a Lake Crystal homicide has died from self-inflicted gunshot wounds.
Gary Mark Rodewald has died from his injuries, according to Blue Earth County Sheriff Jeff Wersal.
Rodewald was in an intensive care unit following the homicide due to, “an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound.”
The Blue Earth County Sheriff’s Office said they are investigating a homicide on Thursday in Lake Crystal.
Officials responded to a house at 515th Avenue just north of Highway 60 in Lake Crystal at 7:18 p.m. after receiving a 911 call from a man who reportedly found his friend unresponsive.
According to the sheriff’s office, a woman was pronounced dead shortly after authorities arrived. She was later identified as 57-year-old Kristi Joy Gardner and the Ramsey County Medical Examiner listed her manner of death as homicide due to multiple gunshot wounds.
Law enforcement determined that Gardner had been involved in a relationship with a 64-year-old man and officials began looking for him overnight. The man was found in a vehicle inside a garage at his home in New Ulm.
Just before 6 a.m. Friday, the Brown, Lyon, Redwood and Renville County Emergency Response Unit (BLR-ERU) found him unresponsive due to an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound.
He was brought to the hospital, where he remains unresponsive in the intensive care unit.
The incident is still under investigation by the Blue Earth County Sheriff’s Office and the Minnesota BCA.
If you or someone you know is experiencing abuse, several resources are available to offer help. For immediate help, contact:
- The National Domestic Violence Hotline at 800-799-7233.
- Minnesota Day One at 866-223-1111.
- The Women’s Advocates crisis line at 651-227-8284.
More than 12 million people just in the U.S. are affected by domestic violence every year, according to the National Domestic Violence Hotline.
The organizations listed above can help connect victims to resources like safe shelter, advocacy, legal help and support groups.
The National Domestic Violence Hotline also offers tips for identifying abuse and supporting victims of abuse. CLICK HERE to see those.
Other organizations that can help include:
- Violence Free Minnesota at 651-646-6177 or 800-289-6177.
- STANDPOINT(formerly the Battered Women’s Legal Advocacy Project) at 612-343-9842.
- Mending the Sacred Hoop at 888-305-1650.
- Minnesota Coalition Against Sexual Assault at 612-209-9993.
Minnesota also has a list of many other resources for victims of crimes that can be found HERE.