MONTEVIDEO, Minn. — Refugio Rodriguez was found dead on a Montevideo, Minnesota, walking path on Sept. 20, 2020. The initial incident report indicated Rodriguez was found hanging from a tree by a passerby.
His death was deemed a suicide, and the case was closed by the Montevideo Police Department.
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But, what his death a suicide?
This 4-part podcast series from The Vault podcast, hosted by reporter Trisha Taurinskas, follows along as she investigates Rodriguez's death and uncovers new information that leads to a review of the case by the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension (BCA).
The BCA review of Rodriguez's case is ongoing . This 4-part podcast series will be updated when the BCA's review is complete.
Refugio Rodriguez, part 1: A Minnesota hitjob? Why did police ignore clues and rule it suicide?
Wed Dec 21 07:36:00 EST 2022
A Minnesota man found dead on walking path told family he was a 'goner' after identified as confidential informant. Yet despite the suspicious death, his case was closed after suicide determination.
Refugio Rodriguez, part 2: Sole investigator had case thrown out due to bad police work
Fri Feb 17 10:49:00 EST 2023
A Minnesota police investigator who closed the case on a possible murder after labeling it a suicide was simultaneously under fire for shoddy police work in another case, according to court records.
The matter raises serious concerns for the family of Refugio Rodriguez. Montevideo, Minnesota, Police Department investigator Carmen Beninga closed the investigation into Rodriguez's September 2020 death despite multiple credible leads indicating his death might have been a hitjob, a Forum News Service investigation has shown.
Full story can be found here.
The matter raises serious concerns for the family of Refugio Rodriguez. Montevideo, Minnesota, Police Department investigator Carmen Beninga closed the investigation into Rodriguez's September 2020 death despite multiple credible leads indicating his death might have been a hitjob, a Forum News Service investigation has shown.
Full story can be found here.
Refugio Rodriguez, part 3: Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension agrees to review investigation as national expert weighs in
Thu Mar 09 17:07:00 EST 2023
Expert insight into the death investigation of Refugio Rodriguez reveals critical errors in police procedure that compromised key evidence collected from the crime scene and failed to document critical details related to the hose found around Rodriguez’s neck.
The review by a retired crime scene investigator comes as police in Montevideo, Minnesota, have referred the Rodriguez case to the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension after a series of Forum News Service investigations revealed oversights and questionable decisions in the original police investigation.
Rodriguez was found dead in Chinhinta Park in Montevideo, Minnesota, on Sept. 20, 2020. The initial incident report indicated Rodriguez was found hanging from a tree by a passerby. He was, in fact, found on his knees, with a hose, attached to a tree, wrapped around his neck. Montevideo police later ruled the death a suicide and closed the case .
Sal Rastrelli, a retired crime scene investigator with more than 30 years of experience, specializes in cases involving suicides and homicides. He was provided with investigative documents obtained by Forum News Service related to the death of Rodriguez, including the police report, medical examiner’s report and crime scene images.
Full story, written by Trisha Taurinskas, can be found here. https://www.inforum.com/news/the-vault/national-expert-weighs-in-on-refugio-rodriguezs-death-investigation-as-new-image-of-body-surfaces
The review by a retired crime scene investigator comes as police in Montevideo, Minnesota, have referred the Rodriguez case to the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension after a series of Forum News Service investigations revealed oversights and questionable decisions in the original police investigation.
Rodriguez was found dead in Chinhinta Park in Montevideo, Minnesota, on Sept. 20, 2020. The initial incident report indicated Rodriguez was found hanging from a tree by a passerby. He was, in fact, found on his knees, with a hose, attached to a tree, wrapped around his neck. Montevideo police later ruled the death a suicide and closed the case .
Sal Rastrelli, a retired crime scene investigator with more than 30 years of experience, specializes in cases involving suicides and homicides. He was provided with investigative documents obtained by Forum News Service related to the death of Rodriguez, including the police report, medical examiner’s report and crime scene images.
Full story, written by Trisha Taurinskas, can be found here. https://www.inforum.com/news/the-vault/national-expert-weighs-in-on-refugio-rodriguezs-death-investigation-as-new-image-of-body-surfaces
Refugio Rodriguez, part 4: Homicide or suicide? What role does the medical examiner play in determining how a person died
Thu Mar 30 09:03:00 EDT 2023
*This episode contains disturbing descriptions of both strangulations and hangings. Please take care while listening.
In this episode, we examine the role of the medical examiner in suspicious death cases. Can a medical examiner determine whether a death was a suicide? The answer is complex.
In this episode, we examine the role of the medical examiner in suspicious death cases. Can a medical examiner determine whether a death was a suicide? The answer is complex.
Discover the accompanying 4-part article series here:
- Part 1: Police claim Refugio Rodriguez killed himself. His family fears it was a hitjob, with evidence ignored
- Part 2: Investigator into Refugio Rodriguez’s death had other case thrown out due to bad police work
- Part 3: Police deemed Refugio Rodriguez's death a suicide, not a murder. Now Minnesota BCA will review the case
- Part 4: National expert weighs in on Refugio Rodriguez’s death investigation as new image of body surfaces
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