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.
Star Tribune
Nissan, Honda confirm talks on closer collaboration but say there’s been no decision on a merger
The company has struggled for years following a scandal that began with the arrest of its former chairman Carlos Ghosn in late 2018 on charges of fraud and misuse of company assets, allegations that he denies. He eventually was released on bail and fled to Lebanon.
Honda reported its profits slipped nearly 20% in the first half of the April-March fiscal year from a year earlier, as sales suffered in China.
Toyota made 11.5 million vehicles in 2023, while Honda rolled out 4 million and Nissan produced 3.4 million. Mitsubishi Motors made just over 1 million. Even after a merger Toyota would remain the leading Japanese automaker.
All the global automakers are facing potential shocks if President-elect Donald Trump follows through on threats to raise or impose tariffs on imports of foreign products, even from allies like Japan and neighboring countries like Canada and Mexico. Nissan is among the major car companies that have adjusted their supply chains to include vehicles assembled in Mexico.
Meanwhile, analysts say there is an ‘’affordability shift’’ taking place across the industry, led by people who feel they cannot afford to pay nearly $50,000 for a new vehicle. In American, a vital market for companies like Nissan, Honda and Toyota, that’s forcing automakers to consider lower pricing, which will eat further into industry profits.
Grace Barcelow, center, a conservation specialist for Hennepin County, and Rachel Dunlap, Minnesota GreenCorps member, talk with Bryn Mawr Presbyterian Church’s John Daniels about how to effectively use less salt to clear sidewalks. (Anthony Soufflé/The Minnesota Star Tribune)
About 67 bodies of water in Minnesota already have dangerous levels of chloride and 75 more are nearing the danger zone, according to the MPCA. Salt also infiltrates groundwater, the source of most drinking water in the state.
This winter the West Metro Water Alliance is focusing on faith-based organizations, which are some of the biggest users of salt to melt ice in parking lots and on sidewalks so parishioners can make it to services.
John Daniels, a volunteer at Bryn Mawr Presbyterian Church, signed up for a consultation to learn more about how to use less salt and better protect the environment. His church has a snow removal contractor, but Daniels helps make sure the sidewalks are clear on busy days.
“It makes a lot of sense to me,” Daniels said of the information Barcelow and Rachel Dunlap, a MPCA GreenCorps member shared with him on a recent frigid morning. “We want to use best practices, whenever we can.”
Some key takeaways from the consultation included how little salt is needed to melt ice — roughly one granule per 3 square inches, or about a coffee cup for 10 sidewalk squares.
He said a phoenix was chosen for the display for its typical interpretation as a symbol of rebirth, transformation and self-determination, especially with the new year approaching. The mythical bird is also surrounded by black cranes with crescent moons, which “reinforces the power of intention and renewal.”
“So we took all of that together and we found it pretty inspiring, and we wanted to share that with the great state of Minnesota,” he said.
When asked, Sion declined to say how many members are part of his congregation. But he said the group organizes a series of meetings to discuss current events “in the Satanic world, so to speak,” along with board game nights, craft days and charitable endeavors – “real dark stuff,” he joked.
“We do good in the world,” he said. “We do things like charity drives a couple times a year to benefit things like [homelessness].”
