Homicide suspected in deaths of Cromwell couple

A man and woman were found dead in their rural Carlton County home Sunday as a result of what authorities are calling a possible homicide.

Carlton County emergency dispatchers received a report of a man found dead in a residence on Krogh Road in Red Clover Township, about two miles northeast of Cromwell, at 2:55 p.m. When sheriff's deputies arrived, they found an adult man and woman dead inside the home.

"The deaths were suspicious in nature and are being treated as a homicide," Carlton County Sheriff Kelly Lake said in a statement, adding that the names of the victims were being withheld. "The Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension has been called to assist in the investigation."

Records show the couple both to be 53.

Suzy Goodin, who lives in nearby Wright, said the woman used to work for her father at a furniture factory in Cromwell and that she knew her all her life.

"She was well-loved in the community," Goodin told the News Tribune, adding the victim had a "tough exterior" but was very nice.

The woman previously experienced tragedy in her family, Goodin said, losing her seventh-grade son to leukemia in 1996. She said she did not believe the man who died with her in the house was the boy's father.

"Both (the man and woman) had pretty rough lives," she said.

While authorities worked to reach next-of-kin, friends and neighbors of the couple reacted to the tragedy in Facebook postings reflecting their shock.

"It's a creepy feeling driving through Cromwell with a bunch of cops and not feeling that safety anymore," one poster wrote, adding "thoughts and prayers" -- to the couple. Another echoed that, writing "Murders are not supposta happen in Cromwell MN!! Truly scary!!" and a poster who described the man as "a second father" wrote "I'll miss u forever."

Wendy Johnson, Brandon Stahl, Georgia Swing, Jana Peterson and Robin Washington contributed to this report.