In a discovery that police called "gut-wrenching," a woman was found dead in a St. Paul house while two children were found physically unharmed in another room, authorities said.
The discoveries happened about 9:30 p.m. Friday in the city's Frogtown neighborhood.
Police were called about that time to a house in the 500 block of Charles Avenue about a suspicious situation: A mother had failed to pick up a child at a day care, and no one was answering the door at the woman's home, according to authorities.
When officers went inside, they found blood and then the woman, police said, adding that she was gravely injured and later pronounced dead without taking her to the hospital for St. Paul's 13th homicide of the year.
Police secured the scene before calling medics. No one else was found in the house with children, and no arrests have been made, authorities said.
Investigators are working to identify witnesses and gather evidence.The Ramsey County Medical Examiner's Office will conduct an autopsy to determine the cause of death and release the woman's identity.
No further information about the children was available early Saturday.
Anyone with information about this case is asked to call the department's Homicide Unit at 651-266-5650.
