LAKE CRYSTAL — The 57-year-old woman killed in her residence just outside of Lake Crystal Thursday night has been identified as Kristi Joy Gardner, who had been shot multiple times.
Law enforcement determined early on that Gardner had been involved in a relationship with 64-year-old Gary Mark Rodewald of New Ulm and began efforts to locate him overnight.
Rodewald was located by the Brown, Lyon, Redwood and Renville County Emergency Response Unit in a vehicle inside a garage at his residence in New Ulm at 6 a.m. Friday. Authorities found him unresponsive due to an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound.
He was transported to a Minneapolis hospital and as of Friday night remained unresponsive in the intensive care unit.
At 7:18 p.m. Thursday Blue Earth County Sheriff’s Department deputies and Lake Crystal Ambulance personnel were dispatched to a residence on 515th Avenue just north of Highway 60 in rural Lake Crystal.
The 911 caller reported finding his friend unresponsive inside the home.
First responders determined the female resident was deceased shortly after arriving on scene.
The incident remains under investigation by the Sheriff’s Office with assistance from the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension.