Death of Lake Crystal woman ruled homicide, sheriff says
LAKE CRYSTAL, Minn. — The death of a 57-year-old woman in Lake Crystal has been ruled by the Ramsey County Medical Examiner's Office as a homicide.
The Blue Earth County Sheriff's Office says the woman, identified as Kristi Joy Gardner, died from multiple gunshot wounds.
Someone called 911 on Thursday evening to report "finding his friend unresponsive" inside a residence near Highway 60 in Lake Crystal, just southwest of Mankato.
The sheriff's office says Gardner died at the scene.
Investigators say she had been in a relationship with a 64-year-old New Ulm man, and tried to find him overnight. The sheriff's office says authorities found the man unresponsive in his garage with an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound around 6 a.m. Friday.
He was taken to the hospital and was in the intensive care unit Friday night.
The Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension is assisting with the investigation.
If you or someone you know is in emotional distress, get help from the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline by calling or texting 988. Trained crisis counselors are available 24 hours a day to talk about anything.
In addition, help is available from the National Alliance on Mental Illness, or NAMI. Call the NAMI Helpline at 800-950-6264 or text "HelpLine" to 62640. There are more than 600 local NAMI organizations and affiliates across the country, many of which offer free support and education programs.
Domestic Violence Resources: For anonymous, confidential help, people can call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-7233 or 1-800-787-3224.
