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Man linked to fatal shooting dies from self-inflicted injury

BLUE EARTH — Gary Mark Rodewald, 64, of New Ulm died Monday as a result of his injuries from a Friday incident according to Blue Earth County Sheriff’s Office.

Rodewald was found Friday morning at his home in New Ulm by the Brown, Lyron, Redwood and Renville County Emergency Response Unit (BLR-ERU). He was unresponsive due to an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound.

BLR-ERU searched for Rodewald since Thursday night due to his connection with a rural Lake Crystal homicide victim.

On Thursday, 57-year-old Kristi Joy Gardner of Lake Crystal was found unresponsive in a house north of Highway 60. First responders arrived on the scene and confirmed she was dead and the circumstances surrounding her death were considered suspicious. The Ramsey County Medical Examiner’s Offices listed her death as a homicide caused by multiple gunshot wounds.

Early in the investigation, law enforcement determined Gardner was involved in a relationship with Rodewald and began efforts to locate him. BLR-ERU was called to assist because of the nature of the investigation and involvement of a firearm.

BLR-ERU contacted Rodewald just before 6 a.m. Friday and found him unresponsive in a vehicle in his garage due to an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound. Rodewald was transported by ambulance to a hospital in Minneapolis where he was unresponsive in the intensive care unit until his death Monday.

The incident remains under investigation by the Blue Earth County Sheriff’s Office with assistance from the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension.

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