Lake City woman’s death ruled homicide, suspect in ICU after ‘self-inflicted gunshot wound’

(ABC 6 News) – A Lake City woman’s cause of death has been ruled as a homicide, according to the Blue Earth County Sheriff’s Office.

According to Capt. Paul Barta, BECSO deputies found 57-year-old Kristi Joy Gardner, of rural Lake Crystal, dead on Thursday night at 7:18 p.m. on 515th Ave. north of Highway 60.

The Ramsey County Medical Examiner’s Office ruled Gardner’s death as a homicide and the cause of death as multiple gunshot wounds.

Capt. Barta claims law enforcement determined Gardner was in a relationship with 64-year-old Gary Mark Rodewald and began efforts to locate him overnight.

Law enforcement located Rodewald in a vehicle inside his home’s garage in New Ulm. Due to the nature of the investigation and the involvement of a firearm, the Brown, Lyon, Redwood and Renville County Emergency Response Unit (BLR-ERU) assisted.

The BLR-ERU made contact with Rodewald just before 6 a.m. Friday and found him unresponsive ‘due to an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound’, according to Capt. Barta.

Rodewald is currently unresponsive in the intensive care unit at a regional hospital in Minneapolis.

Capt. Barta says several law enforcement agencies as well as medical personnel in the area assisted in the initial response and ensuing investigation.

The incident is under investigation by the BECSO with assistance from the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension.