Brazilian police arrest woman in connection to death of Minnesota businessman
MINNEAPOLIS — Authorities in Brazil say the death of a Twin Cities entrepreneur in Rio de Janiero is now considered a murder investigation, and a suspect has been arrested.
CNN Brazil reports 43-year-old D'Wayne Morris was found dead on Aug. 8 inside his rental home in Rio's Copacabana neighborhood.
Rio Civil Police say Morris and a friend had gone out the night before in the city's popular Lapa neighborhood. Investigators believe they met two women who soon drugged them and planned to rob them — a common scam in the city that targets tourists.
Police say they arrested a 23-year-old woman who has a history of committing similar crimes.
The U.S. State Department confirmed the death a couple of weeks ago but didn't identify Morris as the victim. Officials said they "stand ready to provide consular assistance," and they give their "sincerest condolences" to Morris' family.
Morris' life partner: "It doesn't make sense"
Morris was the president and founder of Blue Waters Consulting and Soul Community Development Corporation.
The graduate of Minneapolis Roosevelt High School and Southwest Minnesota State University managed a $14 million portfolio of businesses in addition to providing financial consulting.
Morris was the sole provider of the blended family he shared with his life partner, Tamatha Richman, which included her three children and his one child.
"He's a fun partner to have," Richman said.
As a family, they loved to travel.
"We've traveled to a variety of countries, and we were well aware of the things that were necessary as you become an international traveler," she said.
That's why Richman has so many questions about what happened in Brazil.
"It doesn't make sense. D'Wayne was in the country less than 24 hours. He had not even spent the night in Brazil," she said. "This is certainly a situation where D'Wayne was targeted, that these people were experienced, and they drugged D'Wayne, they robbed him, they left him for dead," she said.
"To be a partner with D'Wayne is really to share him with the world"
Richman said Morris made everyone he met feel as if they were his best friend.
"He has a way about himself where everybody believes they're the most special person," Richman said. "So when he's interacting with them, you know, in this last week the amount of people that told me they're D'Wayne's best friend, or you know, they're brother to him or a sister to him and don't actually have that blood relationship, and that's really about how he showed up in his relationships."
From his time as a teacher, a basketball coach, or working at a nonprofit in north and south Minneapolis, Morris gave his all to what he was doing.
"While others may have seen it as him staying really busy, it really was more about that D'Wayne was sharing his gifts, and so it came easy to him," she said. "It energized him to be able to connect, and help and provide."
Their home was a place where they mentored other young adults, another way he gave back to community.
"To be a partner with D'Wayne is really to share him with the world," she said.
His death does not overshadow how much he contributed to the lives of many. He leaves behind a legacy of love and empowering others to be their best.
Richman is planning a celebration of life in Minnesota. Morris will later be buried in Jamaica. His family has set up a GoFundMe.
Morris' death comes just months after Twin Cities comedian Tou Ger Xiong, 50, was found dead under similar circumstances in neighboring Columbia. Two men and a woman were charged in his death in January.