Suspect Arrested After Woman Found Dead, Child Alone in Frogtown Home

May 3

*300 block of Edmund Ave. in Saint Paul on Friday, May 2.* ***Via SPPD***

Police have arrested a suspect after a woman was killed and a 2-year-old girl found alone inside a Saint Paul home early Friday morning.

Officers responded just after 5:15 a.m. for a welfare check on the 300 block of Edmund Avenue in the Frogtown neighborhood.

After announcing their presence and getting no response, officers entered the home and found a woman unresponsive inside. Paramedics were called to the scene and pronounced her dead a short time later.

Police said the woman’s body showed signs of trauma and her death is being investigated as a homicide. The Ramsey County Medical Examiner’s Office will perform an autopsy to determine the exact cause of death and confirm her identity.

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The young girl was removed from the home and transported by medics for evaluation. Per initial police radio dispatches, she did not appear harmed but had been unattended for an unknown amount of time. Police later said they believe she is the homicide victim’s child.

Officers remained on scene into the late morning hours as members of the homicide unit processed evidence and canvassed the neighborhood. It marked the third homicide of the year in Saint Paul. KARE-TV reports at this time last year, there had been eight homicides in the city.

According to the City of Minneapolis crime dashboard, there have been 14 confirmed homicides so far this year.

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By around 9:30 a.m. on Saturday, May 3, Saint Paul Police announced an arrest in the case. Joseph Davis, 34, of Saint Paul, was booked into the Ramsey County Jail on suspicion of 2nd-degree murder. Formal charges for the suspect are expected in the coming days and details on the circumstances of his arrest are not yet available.

Ramsey County court records show Davis has previous convictions for domestic assault, disorderly conduct, DWI, fleeing police and felony violation of a no-contact order. A booking photo for the suspect was not immediately available.

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