Law enforcement authorities have identified a suspect in the slaying of a 33-year-old Minneapolis woman whose body was found west of Northfield, Minn., more than two years ago.
The Rice County attorney's office could file charges as early as next week against the man suspected of killing Laura Lynn DeMeules, Sheriff Richard Cook said Wednesday.
On Nov. 6, 2005, a local resident driving a backhoe found DeMeules' naked body on a gravel road near Interstate 35. DeMeules, a mother of three boys, had a criminal record that included arrests involving prostitution, theft and drugs. She had been severely beaten and strangled.
DeMeules had been living in south Minneapolis and was last seen in the early hours of that morning near Lake Street and 21st Avenue S.
The suspect, a 33-year-old man, is currently serving time in the Rice County jail for an unrelated property crime conviction, said Cook, who added that he believes DeMeules and the suspect were strangers. Physical evidence collected at the crime scene contributed to the investigation, but Cook declined to elaborate before a criminal complaint is released. SARAH LEMAGIE
