Star Tribune
No hunt for suspects after Blaine couple killed in SUV, guns taken from their home later that day
Law enforcement says it is pursuing no suspects in connection with either the shooting deaths of two people in the couple’s vehicle last week in Blaine nor the taking of dozens of guns from their home during an apparent ransacking.
Sarah Fay Gordon, 41, and longtime private security provider Daniel Joseph Seman, 66, were found by police around noon on March 27 in an SUV parked in an area of retail outlets in the 10700 block of NE. Town Square Drive.
Sheriff’s Office spokeswoman Tierney Peters repeated on Tuesday what she said in her statement a day after the bodies were located: “We are not looking for suspects related to the death investigation and there is no known threat to the public.”
Peters’ words echo what law enforcement routinely says in cases of suspected murder-suicide. As of Tuesday afternoon, the Midwest Medical Examiner’s Office has yet to release the cause and manner behind the deaths of Gordon or Seman.
As for the ransacking of the couple’s home and the guns being removed, Blaine Police Capt. Mark Boerboom said Tuesday that his department initially treated the case as a burglary but it now has ended its investigation into what he called “a civil issue.”
Boerboom would not specify what he meant by that characterization other than to say, “Maybe someone who had items there went to retrieve them.” He also declined to say the deaths and the entry into their Blaine home were connected.
Seman’s online résumé notes that he did work for the U.S. Marshals Service before owning one of the state’s largest private security firms, Avalon Fortress.
Before it filed for bankruptcy in 2009 and officially went out of business in 2014 after nearly 20 years, the business employed hundreds and over the years providing security to major events ranging from Minnesota Vikings games to the 2008 Republican National Convention in St. Paul and the 2009 funeral for former Minnesota Twins owner Carl Pohlad in the Basilica of St. Mary.
Gordon ran her own business as a professional organizer and home stager. She counted individuals, small businesses and corporations among her clients.
While the law enforcement spokespeople have chosen to shed little light on these two incidents, a search warrant affidavit filed by the Sheriff’s Office on Thursday offered some insight into both events. Neither Peters nor Boerboom discounted anything in the affidavit, which cleared the way for law enforcement to collect interior surveillance cameras, DNA, fingerprints, photos and gun paperwork from the home:
Blaine officers arrived at the vehicle, spotted Gordon and Seman dead inside, and saw that “early indications were that this was a likely murder-suicide, however the investigation is still in its early stages.”
The officers found a gun in the SUV that held five discharged shell casings. Detectives did not believe that all five bullets were fired from inside the vehicle.
Two detectives went to the couple’s home in the 11800 block of NE. Flanders Circle and “found things to be in order, the home was very clean, and no one was located in the home.”
Detective spoke with a friend of the couple, who said she would be letting the dogs out at the home and caring for them in wake of Gordon and Seman dying.
Nearly eight hours after detectives visited the home, she returned to the home to left the dogs out and found the residence had been ransacked. Officers arrived and spotted fresh footprints in the snow that led to a rear basement window, which had been broken out, allowing for entry.
Officers went inside and saw a gun room door with a biometric lock that had been kicked in. “About 50 guns had been stolen, [and] gun cases were strewn about the basement.”
Seman was known as an avid gun collector and had many valuable firearms. Also believed taken from the home were high-end bags, purses and luggage.
A new free grocery store opened Tuesday in Maplewood, offering greater assistance to Minnesotans who may otherwise struggle to afford groceries.
About 20 people were lined up Tuesday morning as they waited for the opening of the new store Today’s Harvest, which is located in a former grocery store at 1740 Van Dyke St.
“It’s very convenient for me, and it helps to save, especially since I’m a single mom,” said Chee Yang, 38. “It’s hard with groceries prices always being so high.”
Today’s Harvest is run by the Minnesota food bank Open Cupboard, which also operates a free store in Oakdale. As Yang and others waited for the Maplewood store to open, state politicians and Open Cupboard employees wrapped up a ribbon-cutting event inside with workers scuttling around the store to get it ready for its first customers.
Unlike food shelves, Today’s Harvest allows shoppers to pick out what items they wish to take home. It also allows those who don’t wish to disclose their personal information or income level to shop anonymously. Whereas food shelves typically ask for one’s name and address, Today’s Harvest customers only have to provide the number of people in their household and their zip code.
The markets help reduce food waste by obtaining food from stores that is close to expiring but is still safe to eat. The shops include open trays with fresh produce as well as refrigerators with meat, dairy and other products. The refrigerators and freezers each have a sign at the top indicating how many items a customer is allowed to take during their visit.
A sign shows the grocery limit at the new Today’s Harvest grocery store in Maplewood. (Jerry Holt/The Minnesota Star Tribune)
Jessica Francis, executive director of Open Cupboard, said in her speech Tuesday the market anticipates providing food to an estimated 700 households each day. She described Today’s Harvest as a place catered both to those who struggle with food insecurity, and those who may need temporary assistance as they experience a short-term financial struggle.
“If they hit a bump in the road or they have a crisis, they can lean on us a little more heavily for a little while, until they get back on their feet,” Francis said.
According to federal court filings, Carlson, serving 17½ years after being found guilty of 51 felony counts in 2013, suffers from medical issues including cancer and dental decay. His confinement to an apartment in the Twin Cities, along with his twice-weekly check-ins at a Roseville halfway house make his situation “extremely challenging,” documents cite him as saying.
Carlson’s charges included conspiracy, misbranding drugs, distributing a controlled substance and making illegal monetary transactions. Medical experts testified at his trial that the criminal activity at the downtown store that regularly drew lines of people created a slew of consequences: It created a public health crisis and dramatically increased narcotic-related police calls, emergency room visits and fatalities.
The Last Place on Earth sold “spice” and “bath salts,” and customers testified at trial they caused hallucinations and heart palpitations. After the store closed, St. Luke’s hospital said its analog drug-related emergency room admissions dropped from about 75 patients monthly to fewer than four.
Carlson served about nine years of his sentence at a low-security facility in Michigan before he was released by the Federal Bureau of Prisons.
The 67-year-old said in a motion he filed that he must take two buses and walk a mile as part of the journey to the halfway house, describing the trip as “insurmountable” in winter and plagued by “extreme heat and air quality issues” in the summer.
The office of U.S. Attorney Andrew Luger wrote in opposition of Carlson’s request, saying that a reduced sentence would not reflect the seriousness of Carlson’s crimes.
“For years, he sold destructive analog drugs that caused users to experience harmful side effects and caused severe disruption to Duluth’s health care and law enforcement services,” the filing reads. “And Carlson made millions doing so.”
Members of the FBI supervise the removal of boxes and electronic equipment from Smart Therapy Center’s business office in Minneapolis on Thursday. (Elizabeth Flores)
Investigators say at least a dozen of the Feeding Our Future defendants “owned, received money from, or were associated with autism centers that received state money for EIDBI services.”
According to DHS, Minnesota companies made 15,720 claims in 2017, billing Medicaid $1.7 million, of which $1.3 million was paid. Those numbers have since exploded, growing nearly 23,000% from 2017 to 2023, when over 1 million claims were filed and nearly $400 million billed, but only about half that was paid out. This year is on pace to post similar numbers to last year.
In an affidavit, FBI Special Agent Kurt Beulke wrote that the investigation “has found substantial evidence that many of these companies have been submitting fraudulent claims for EIDBI services that were not actually provided or that were not covered by the EIDBI program.”
Smart Therapy Center received about $13.8 million in Medicaid reimbursements for the autism program between 2020 and 2024, and Star Autism has received more than $6 million since it began operating in 2020, according to the search warrant.
2 sisters, 7 years apart in age, also receive heart transplants 7 years apart in Chicago
Congo says mystery disease behind dozens of deaths of women and children finally identified as severe malaria
Russia says suspect detained in killing of Gen. Igor Kirillov, head of Russian chemical weapons unit
2 sisters, 7 years apart in age, also receive heart transplants 7 years apart in Chicago
Congo says mystery disease behind dozens of deaths of women and children finally identified as severe malaria