Man suspected of killing mother in Uptown apartment in March

Police are searching for a man suspected of killing his mother two months ago in the Uptown, Minneapolis apartment they shared before he then fled to Hawaii, according to court documents.   

Minneapolis Police responded to 3100 block of West Lake Street on March 17 at 8 p.m. to check on Stephanie Katherine DeRousse, 60, who hadn’t been seen in several days, according to a press release from the Minneapolis Police Department. 

Officers arrived to find her dead, and as the circumstances seemed suspicious, homicide detectives and forensic specialists were called to the scene to investigate, according to police. The next day, March 18, police requested a search warrant. The warrant affidavit indicates police recovered several items, including a cell phone, two laptops, a tablet and a bag of suspected narcotics. 

On Monday, May 15, the Hennepin County Medical Examiner’s Office ruled DeRousse's death a homicide, with the cause listed as "blunt force trauma and neck compression," according to a press release. 

Three sons 

Documents filed with probate court indicate that DeRousse had assets worth approximately $495,000, with all but $10,000 coming from the apartment itself, as well as debts of $331,840 in debits. The apartment one-bedroom apartment is currency listed for $520,000

The documents indicate she has three sons listed as heirs — the son who lived with her, another who lives in Minneapolis, and a third who lives in Illinois. 

The filing indicates that the son based in Illinois requested to be appointed as the special administrator of her estate because the son who lived with her is the primary suspect in her murder while the other is being investigated for allegedly stealing valuable jewelry from her apartment after her death.  

The filing also states that the son suspected of killing DeRousse allegedly attempted to use her credit cards and "other assets" after her death. It says his current whereabouts are unknown, but his last "possible location" was in Hawaii. 

A judge ruled in the Illinois-based son's favor and appointed him as the special administrator of his mother's estate.    

FOX 9 does not generally name suspects until they have been charged with a crime. 

Police believe that there is no current threat to the public.