Death

Man who was missing for days found dead inside air duct

DENT, Minn. (KVRR) – A 40-year-old rural Dent, Minnesota man was found dead in the air duct of his house. The Otter Tail County Sheriff’s Office received a call from a family member Monday morning after they went to check on the man. The family says they hadn’t heard from him in several days. The sheriff’s office says the death appears…

Inmate who died in jail cell identified

FERGUS FALLS, Minn. (KVRR/KFGO) – An Otter Tail County jail inmate who was found unresponsive in her cell in Fergus Falls has been identified. Twenty-eight-year-old Lavuya Jade Baker of Wadena was found during a routine check early Wednesday morning. Jail staff, law enforcement and EMS attempted life saving measures.  Baker was the only person in the cell. Results of an autopsy…

Aromatherapy spray linked to US deaths faces recall, one case reported in Minnesota

MINNESOTA (AP) – U.S. health officials may have solved the mystery of how four people in different states came down with a serious tropical disease, even though none had traveled internationally. The four people may have been infected by an aromatherapy spray imported from India. Two of them died. One was a child. The others were from Minnesota, Kansas and…

Man who killed, dismembered Moorhead woman gets 30 year sentence

Ethan BroadMOORHEAD, Minn. (KVRR/KFGO) – A Moorhead man has been sentenced to more than 30 years in prison for the murder and dismemberment of Dystynee Avery. Twenty-eight-year-old Ethan Broad pleaded guilty in April, 2020.  The 19-year-old Avery was living with Broad in a south Moorhead apartment when they got into an argument. Broad struck Avery on the head with a…

Two people are dead following a crash in Grand Forks

GRAND FORKS, N.D. (KVRR) — Grand Forks Police say two people have died and three are hurt following a crash at 5th Street South and Demers Avenue Friday afternoon. Police say a Buick Regal was driving in the center turn lane going westbound on Demers Avenue at a high rate of speed. The Regal struck a Chevrolet Impala causing minor…

Fire deaths increased in Minnesota in 2020

MINNEAPOLIS – Careless smoking was the leading cause of fatal fires in Minnesota in 2020. Fifty-three people died in fires last year, a 13% increase over 2019. The Minnesota Department of Public Safety says seven deaths last year were attributed to careless smoking, the fifth consecutive year it led to fatal fires. Six victims died in fires that were attributed…

Man who died at Line 3 pipeline site run over by forklift

HILL CITY, Minn. – Authorities say a man who died while working on a pipeline project in northern Minnesota was run over by a large forklift. The Aitkin County Sheriff’s Office has preliminarily ruled that the death of Jorge Villafuerte III at the Enbridge Energy Line 3 construction site was an accident. The accident happened in the predawn hours of…

Minnesota State Sen. Jerry Relph dies after contracting COVID-19

MINNESOTA — Minnesota State Sen. Jerry Relph of St. Cloud has died of complications related to COVID-19. Relph tested positive for COVID-19 last month, three days after going into self-quarantine after he discovered he was exposed at the State Capitol. Relph then went to an emergency room for his symptoms. Relph, 76, is the first Minnesota lawmaker to succumb to…

Inmate death at Cass County Jail under investigation

UPDATE: Saturday, Dec. 19th at 4:30 p.m. — The Cass County Sheriff’s Office is releasing the name of the inmate who passed away while in custody at the Cass County Jail.  41 year-old Luke Laducer was booked into the Cass County Jail around 3:00 a.m. on December 18th.   FARGO, N.D. (KFGO) – The Cass County Sheriff’s Office, the Cass…