Woman slain in Maplewood, police say

The police in Maplewood say that a woman found dead on Saturday morning was probably killed.

Acting Police Chief Dave Kvam said officers were called about 4:30 a.m. to the area of McKnight Road and Ripley Avenue on a report of a person who needed medical attention. When they arrived they found a woman dead at the scene.

"Not going to discuss the details as to what we believe the mechanism of death was," Kvam said, "but suffice to say there was evidence present that led us to believe it was a homicide. And we're continuing to investigate it with the assistance of the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension."

Kvam said police are searching for a man seen by a witness but added that the man was not necessarily a threat to public safety.

"It's too early to speculate exactly," he said. "It was reported to us by this witness at the scene that this person was in the area. And we are not able to say distinctly what his involvement could be, but we would certainly like to identify him and speak to him."

The man was described as white, about 5 feet 9 inches tall with blond spiked hair and wearing black sweatpants and a white hoodie-style sweatshirt.

The victim has yet to be identified, pending notification of the family.