Suspected homicide is year’s first in North Mankato after man found dead in apartment

Law enforcement is investigating a possible murder after finding a man dead in a North Mankato apartment, a police department statement said.

Police identified the deceased man as John Everette Lutgen-Bernatz, 27, in a statement Wednesday night.

North Mankato police arrested a 41-year-old man and are holding him at Nicollet County Jail as he awaits formal charging for Lutgen-Bernatz’s death, police said Wednesday.

The homicide investigation is the first of the year for North Mankato, police said. The department had no homicide investigations last year, according to its 2023 annual report.

Police found Lutgen-Bernatz’s body at the Village Court Apartments after arriving at 11:30 a.m. Tuesday, the statement said.

A woman directed them to the apartment where police said they found both Lutgen-Bernatz and the man they arrested.

The public faces no threat related to the incident, North Mankato police said.

The neighboring city of Mankato has had one homicide so far this year, and one in 2023, according to the city.

The Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension is assisting in the investigation. The Ramsey County Medical Examiner’s Office is investigating the dead man’s identity and the cause and manner of his death.