Authorities investigate apparent homicide

Cozy Bay Resort on Lake Edward — a place where people take their family vacation and relax — was a crime scene late Thursday night into Friday, Oct. 8, following a shooting complaint.

Agents with the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension were processing the crime scene where authorities located a woman who died of an apparent gunshot wound in one of the cabins at the resort off of Crow Wing County Highway 4 in Lake Edward Township.

Crow Wing County Sheriff Scott Goddard, who was on scene Friday, said a report of several gunshots fired was called into the Crow Wing County Dispatch Center at 11:04 p.m. Deputies along with officers from several city police departments responded and encountered a man armed with a rifle and a handgun.

Goddard said it became a stand-off type situation where deputies negotiated for nearly two hours. Eventually authorities convinced the suspect to put his weapons down in a safe location and deputies took the subject into custody at that point.

The suspect, who’s name has not yet been released, is currently in custody in the Crow Wing County Jail. Once the suspect was apprehended — law enforcement began searching the property near where the earlier shooting complaint was reported. This is when the Crow Wing County Tactical Response Team located the woman in a cabin deceased from an apparent gunshot wound.

Goddard said the incident is under investigation and that the sheriff’s office will not release the name of the deceased woman until notification of next of kin has been made and further investigation can be completed.

Assisting the sheriff's office were the Brainerd, Baxter, Nisswa, Pequot Lakes, Crosslake and Breezy Point police departments, the Crow Wing County UAV (drone) team, the Crow Wing County Crisis Negotiation Team, North Memorial Ambulance and the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension.

The Crow Wing County Sheriff’s Office had a deputy stand along County Highway 4 in front of the resort to make sure no one entered the property. Yellow police tape was taped along the property along the highway and more tape was taped around a few of the cabins.

The BCA was expected to be on scene most of Friday gathering evidence.

JENNIFER KRAUS may be reached at jennifer.kraus@brainerddispatch.com or 218-855-5851. Follow me at www.twitter.com/jennewsgirl on Twitter.

1/3: Sgt. Chad Paulson of the Crow Wing County Sheriff's Office stands near his squad Friday off Crow Wing County Highway 4 in front of Cozy Bay Resort. The sheriff's office was called to a shooting complaint late Thursday night. Agents with the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension were processing the crime scene Friday. Jennifer Kraus / Brainerd Dispatch

2/3: Crow Wing County Sheriff Scott Goddard talks Friday about the apparent homicide as agents with the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension were processing the crime scene where authorities located a woman who died of an apparent gunshot wound in one of the cabins at Cozy Bay Resort off of Crow Wing County Highway 4 in Lake Edward Township. Jennifer Kraus / Brainerd Dispatch

3/3: Agents with the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension process the crime scene Friday where authorities located a woman who died of an apparent gunshot wound in one of the cabins at Cozy Bay Resort off of Crow Wing County Highway 4 in Lake Edward Township. Jennifer Kraus / Brainerd Dispatch