
Update: Suspect in Rural Minnesota Murder Has Died
Lake Crystal, MN (KROC-AM News)- The man suspected of committing a murder in a rural southern Minnesota community has died.
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That’s according to the Blue Earth County Sheriff’s Office. The case began as a suspicious death investigation before shifting to a homicide investigation.
The Blue Earth County Sheriff's Office sent deputies to a home near Lake Crystal, which is about 13 miles southwest of Mankato, Thursday evening after a friend of 57-year-old Kristi Joy Gardner reported finding her unresponsive in her home.
First responders pronounced her dead after they arrived at the scene. A news release said the Ramsey County Medical Examiner's Office has since ruled her death a homicide from multiple gunshot wounds.

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Investigators then learned that the victim had been involved in a relationship with 64-year-old Gary Mark Rodewald. Deputies later located him in a vehicle parked inside of a garage at his residence in New Ulm.
A law enforcement Emergency Response Unit was called to the scene and entered the garage Friday morning and found Rodewald unresponsive due to an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound.
Rodewald was transported to a hospital in Minneapolis in critical condition.
On Monday the Blue Earth County Sheriff’s Office reported Rodewald had died from his injuries. The deadly incident remains under investigation.
If you or someone you know is having suicidal thoughts, visit the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline website. Resource information is provided for free as well as a chat message service. To speak directly to a professional, call 988. You are not alone and help is available. Every life is important.
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