Man, girl found dead inside Faribault, Minnesota home

FARIBAULT, Minn. (KMSP) - A man and a child were found dead inside a house in Faribault, Minnesota on Sunday afternoon. Investigators believe the incident was a murder-suicide.

Officers discovered the bodies in a house on the 2500 block of Hulett Avenue at 1:44 p.m. after a neighbor called to report they could see a man lying in the entryway through a window of the house.

Fairbault Police Chief Andy Bohlen said officers forced entry into the home, finding the man near the front door and a girl in another room. Police have identified the man as Ryan Perizzo, 33, and the child as Lynnaya Stoddard-Espinoza, 8. 

Both Perrizo and Stoddard-Espinoza suffered gunshot wounds, which appear to be the cause of death. 

Faribault police say Perizzo and his late wife, Jodi, petitioned to receive temporary custody of Stoddard-Espinoza in 2012, which granted them sole legal and physical custody as her temporary guardians. 

“This is truly a tragic occurrence. Our officers are working very diligently to determine the exact circumstances
of Sunday’s events”, said a statement from Faribault Police Chief Andy Bohlen.

The Rice County sheriff’s office and the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension are assisting the Faribault Police Department in the investigation.

“I have every confidence that our officers, working with the other agencies, will quickly determine what led to today’s tragic events,” Chief Bohlen said.

Authorities say the public is not at risk, as they believe this is an isolated incident.