Rochester Death Investigation Update: Woman Arrested for Murder

Update: Rochester Murder Charges: Suspect Strangled Victim, Moved Body

Rochester, MN (KROC-AM News)- A death investigation that started in Rochester earlier this year is now a murder case. 

Read More: Man's Body Found in Rochester Park, Investigation Underway

The case began in mid-June, when the Rochester Police Department responded to the report of a body being discovered in a Rochester park. 

A passerby told officers they came across the man’s corpse in Mayo Park, which is on the east side of the Mayo Civic Center in downtown Rochester, on the morning of June 15. 

At the time of the body discovery, Rochester Police reported the victim did not appear to suffer any injuries and did not find any signs of trauma; however, investigators ordered an autopsy. 

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Rochester Woman Arrest for Murder

On Friday, Rochester Police Department Communications Coordinator Amanda Grayson said the Southern Minnesota Regional Medical Examiner determined the man’s cause of death was homicide. 

Police have identified the murder victim as Marcus Martin. He was a 28-year-old Rochester resident. 

Law enforcement arrested the suspect, identified as 25-year-old Ruth Miller, in Chaska on Thursday. Grayson says Miller admitted to strangling Martin. 

Olmsted County Adult Detention Center records indicate the Rochester woman was booked into the jail shortly after 5 p.m. on Thursday. 

Miller was booked into the jail on suspicion of second-degree murder, interference of a dead body and felony theft. Her first court appearance has not yet been scheduled. 

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