Four of Minneapolis' youngest homicide victims were identified Wednesday, pushing the total in the city to 90 so far this year.
Deaths of three unborn children bring number of homicides in Minneapolis this year to 90
Those killed include twin boys, a baby in its final trimester and a 2-month-old infant.
November 25, 2021 at 5:53AM
djoles@startribune.com Families visiting the medical examiner's office for the traumatizing experience of identifying a loved one must search for parking in the shadow of the new Vikings stadium. The location of Chief Medical Examiner Dr. Andrew Baker's office is less than ideal and limits plans for expansion. Baker, who already oversees autopsy services for Dakota, Hennepin and Scott counties, said his office could eventually handle investigative services for Ramsey and Washington counties, and possibly counties in the state's Arrowhead region. He has discussed moving to a 4-acre site near the airport to accommodate the growth.](https://arc.stimg.co/startribunemedia/GKDPVPMR3P7P2URTZPALR4FUBU.jpg?&w=712)
In a news release, the Hennepin County Medical Examiner's Office identified three unborn children and released the name of an infant whose mother has been accused of fatally beating him.
The three new homicides brought the city's homicide count to 90; the death of the infant had already been included in the count, according to a Star Tribune database.
TWINS
The twin boys died at North Memorial Health Hospital at about 7:45 p.m. Sept. 18 after their mother was shot in the abdomen at Bryant Avenue North and 23rd Avenue North, according to a release from the Medical Examiner's Office.
They were identified with the last name Keys; their first names were not listed.
Their mother was standing outside on the 2300 block of North Bryant Avenue when she heard gunfire, according to a Police Department news release. She realized she had been shot and was taken to the hospital with a serious gunshot wound to her abdomen.
She was listed in critical condition but recovered and was released from the hospital.
The deaths of the twins were ruled a homicide. No arrests have been made.
UPTOWN
The medical examiner identified Grace Marie Zierhut, who was in the third trimester. She was pronounced dead near a trailer at 9 a.m. Nov. 8.
Her mother, Annysa Zierhut, was lured to the trailer where she was assaulted with brass knuckles before the trailer was set on fire near 35th Street and Hennepin, according to a criminal complaint.
Close friend Morgan Barone told the Star Tribune that Annysa Zierhut met a man charged in her death at the downtown Minneapolis nightclub Dream Girls.
"He was madly in love with her, [but] he didn't like her lifestyle," she said.
Shannon Michael Benson, 42, of Minneapolis, and Jade M. Rissell, 27, of Elk River, have been charged with two counts of second-degree murder in the deaths of Zierhut and her child.
INFANT
The Medical Examiner's Office identified 2-month-old Akasha Perdew, who died of multiple blunt force injuries at 3:30 a.m. Nov. 10 in his home at 911 S. 22nd Av., according to a news release. Police were called for a welfare check of the mother and baby.
The boy suffered from 33 rib fractures, multiple skull fractures, lacerations of the liver, a fractured right clavicle and hemorrhaging in the brain and both lungs.
His mother, Addison S. Perdew, is charged with second-degree intentional murder and second-degree unintentional murder.
These Minnesotans are poised to play prominent roles in state and national politics in the coming years.
