Murder suspected after woman's body is found in North St. Paul apartment that caught fire

A 41-year-old man was arrested on suspicion of murder early Friday after the body of a 43-year-old woman was found in her North St. Paul apartment following a fire, authorities said.

Officers and fire personnel arrived about 6:30 p.m. Thursday at the apartment building in the 2200 block of E. South Avenue, where the woman's remains were discovered, Police Chief Phil Baebenroth said in a statement.

The Ramsey County Medical Examiner's Office identified the woman as Shanna R. Daniels. An autopsy was being performed.

The suspect was arrested after he was found sleeping along the Gateway State Trail under a Hwy. 36 overpass about 4 miles from the scene of the fire, the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension said.

He was booked into the Ramsey County jail on suspicion of second-degree murder. The County Attorney's Office said the man was expected to be charged Monday. The Star Tribune generally does not identify suspects before they are charged.