Cass County Sheriff, family seek public's help in Walker teen's homicide case
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Seventeen-year-old Dylon Oothoudt was found dead Sept. 13 on the 1600 block of John Moose Drive Northwest in Pike Bay Township, in rural Cass Lake.
The Ramsey County Medical Examiner ruled he died of a gunshot wound and that his death was a homicide.
At a news conference Wednesday, Cass County Sheriff Bryan Welk said investigators have identified a gathering of people in the area around the time of the incident. They believe others nearby may have witnessed it or been involved, and they are asking for help identifying those individuals.
Welk said it's still unknown why Oothoudt was there or if he was targeted. No firearm was recovered at the scene, according to Welk.
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"Hear me clearly: Those responsible for his death will be held accountable," Welk said.
Oothoudt's family and officials from the Leech Lake Band of Ojibwe joined Welk to ask for the public’s assistance in gathering information.
Dylon Oothoudt’s sister, Rosa Oothoudt, said her brother was in the middle of transferring schools. She said he had told her he planned to graduate for both of them, to make their late mother proud.
"I hope someone will have the kindness in their hearts to come forward and get that weight lifted off their shoulders," Rosa Oothoudt said.
Leon Staples, the District III representative for the Leech Lake Band of Ojibwe, said people with information have a responsibility to share it with authorities.
"Speaking up isn't about choosing sides," Staples said. "It's about doing what's right, helping our grieving community find answers. It's about understanding that silence has consequences for everybody."
Tips can be sent anonymously to the Cass County Sheriff's Office or to Crime Stoppers of Minnesota.
The Leech Lake Tribal Police Department, the Paul Bunyan Drug Task Force and the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension are assisting with the investigation.
