Death of 92-year-old Hackensack woman officially ruled homicide

I first started at the Bemidji (Minn.) Pioneer as an intern in the summer of 1996. That would begin six years as a news reporter, sports reporter and copy editor for a small, six-day-per-week daily newspaper in northern Minnesota. I wrote a large range of stories from multiple beats, to features to sports, my favorite being the coverage of the Red Lake Reservation High School basketball team named the Warriors. Here is a collection of my stories from my time at the Pioneer.

Dec. 9, 1999

By Devlyn Brooks

The death of a 92-year-old Hackensack woman was officially ruled a homicide Wednesday by the Ramsey County Medical Examiner's office, according to Cass County Chief Deputy Randy Fisher.

The medical examiner's office determined that Carrie Nagel was not killed by smoke or flames, even though she was found dead in her burning Hackensack home following an explosion Sunday morning.

Meanwhile, no change was reported in the health status of a 30-year-old Anoka man considered a suspect in Nagel's death, Fisher said. Th man still remained in critical condition Wednesday with third-degree burns across his body.

Fisher said, however, the man has not been charged or arrested yet. The Pioneer doesn't print names of suspects until they've either been arrested or charged.

Nagel was found Sunday by her daughter who called authorities to report the fire. Cass County sheriff's officials believe an intruder is responsible for the explosion and subsequent fire in Nagel's home.

The injured suspect sought help at a home near Nagel's that same morning and claimed he was involved in a fiery traffic accident.

He was transported to St. Joseph's Hospital in Park Rapids and later airlifted to a Twin Cities area hospital.

Fisher said that a trail of evidence led from Nagel's home to that car, which is also believed to be involved in a second fire Saturday near Longville in southern Cass County.

Fisher said he did not know if the suspect knew Nagel.