Man's death under investigation near Northfield

Investigators have arrested two suspects and are searching for a third after a man was found dead in his home north of Northfield on Friday night.

Authorities responded to a 911 call about a burglary in progress on the 31500 block of Foliage Avenue in Greenvale Township after three people were seen leaving in the homeowner's car. Dakota County sheriff's deputies found a dead man inside the home.

Authorities described his death as suspicious. The person who reported the burglary had arrived to conduct a welfare check on the homeowner.

"This doesn't appear to be a random break-in that resulted in a homicide," said Chief Deputy Joe Leko, who believes the assailants knew the victim. However, their exact relationship and motive remain unclear. The homeowner has yet to be identified.

When law enforcement made a traffic stop on the stolen vehicle just before 5 p.m. Friday, all three occupants fled on foot.

Deputies took a man and a woman into custody, but are still searching for a third suspect — described as a white male, roughly 6 feet tall and 155 pounds, with a ponytail and a shaved head on the sides. Anyone who sees a man matching that description is asked to call 911.

A 36-year-old Wadena man was booked into the Dakota County jail Saturday morning on probable-cause charges of second- and third-degree murder, burglary and auto theft. The woman was booked into Rice County jail on an existing warrant, Leko said.

The Star Tribune generally does not name suspects until they have been formally charged.

LIZ SAWYER