The victim’s death certificate states that the fatal wound was self-inflicted. The police file remains open – InForum

MONTEVIDEO, Minn. – Nearly three years after a 36-year-old man was found dead on a popular hiking trail in Montevideo, a postal worker discovered the body of a 69-year-old man with fatal stab wounds – just a few blocks away.

According to the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension, the two deaths are not related. However, their studies show similarities.

In both cases, information provided by the Montevideo Police Department to the Midwest Medical Examiner’s Office played a critical role in determining the cause and manner of death.

Both cases were investigated as suspicious deaths – and death certificates listed suicide as the manner of death in both cases.

Refugio Rodriguez was found on his knees in Chinhinta Park on September 20, 2020, with a hose connected to a tree around his neck.

A Forum News Service investigation found that police failed to investigate credible leads about threats against Rodriguez’s life. Critical details in the police report contradicted the final autopsy summary and evidence collected at the crime scene was ignored. It is still unknown where the hose came from. Instead, police immediately closed the case and labeled Rodriguez’s death a suicide.

Forum News Service’s reporting on the Rodriguez case led to a review of the investigation by the BCA. The review is not yet complete.

Mitch Twite was discovered in the early hours of September 18, 2023 with a stab wound on a grassy area next to the parking lot of the Montevideo Post Office, which was located across the street from the bar where he worked.

According to a press release from the Montevideo Police Department dated September 18, 2023, his death was ruled suspicious.

“Montevideo police are investigating a suspicious death after a postal worker discovered the body of a man at 6:30 a.m. this morning,” the release said.

The press release stated that there was no known danger to the public.

A year later, his investigation remains ongoing – and his publicly available death certificate, signed by the Midwest Medical Examiner’s Office, states that he “stabbed himself with a knife and intentionally jumped off a high wall.”

Despite the information in Twite’s official death certificate, the Montevideo police’s official investigation is still ongoing. Twite’s case is considered an open and active investigation. His investigative file will be publicly available when – and if – his case is closed.

The Midwest Medical Examiner’s Office’s general guidelines for determining cause and manner of death include three key components: investigation of the scene of death, knowledge of the circumstances, and the autopsy itself.

In Chippewa County, the investigation into the crime scene and the circumstances surrounding his death will be referred by the appropriate law enforcement agency to the Midwest Medical Examiner’s Office.

In the case of Twite, the Montevideo Police responded to the scene with assistance from the BCA.

Montevideo Police Chief Ken Schule declined to comment on information in the death certificate that suggests Twite stabbed himself before jumping from a fenced-in ledge. The fence is approximately 3 feet high.

School told Forum News Service in May that the investigation was ongoing.

“We hope to provide an update on the case soon as we are able to provide more information,” Schule said in an email at the time.

In a follow-up email dated Oct. 31, Schule said he had “no new updates at this time.”

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The Midwest Medical Examiner’s Office declined to answer questions about the circumstances surrounding Twite’s death, citing the investigation’s classification as open and active.

The autopsy process in cases involving suspicious deaths in Chippewa County begins when law enforcement contacts the Midwest Medical Examiner’s Office to report the discovery of a body.

Then the investigation begins.

In cases within Chippewa County’s jurisdiction – where both Rodriguez and Twite were discovered – local law enforcement is responsible for investigating the scene of the death and investigating to uncover information related to the circumstances leading to the death.

In Rodriguez’s case, the BCA was not called to the scene. The initial investigation was carried out exclusively by the Montevideo police.

In the case of Twite, Montevideo police responded to the scene and were assisted by the BCA. However, the Montevideo police are considered the lead investigative agency.

The third part of the process to determine the manner and cause of death includes a full autopsy, including a toxicology report, performed by Midwest Medical Examiner pathologists.

Once all steps – crime scene investigation, death investigation and autopsy – are completed, the manner and cause of death are determined.

The death certificate is prepared and made available to the public, and the full autopsy report is given to family members of the deceased.

However, the completion of the autopsy report does not automatically conclude the law enforcement investigation.

The law enforcement investigation will not be completed until investigators from the lead agency have clearly determined the cause of death. When a case is closed in Minnesota, the contents of the file are made available to the public through an official records request.

If an agency does not officially close a case, it remains open – and not accessible to the public.

This is part of an ongoing series on Twite’s death.