Man taken into custody after woman found assaulted, killed in Hugo
HUGO, Minn. — A person of interest has been taken into custody hours after a 68-year-old woman was found assaulted and killed north of the Twin Cities.
Just before 6 p.m. Monday, the Washington County Sheriff's Office and medics responded to reports of an unknown medical situation at a Hugo home.
They found the woman with severe traumatic injuries, the sheriff's office said.
"She was actually being attacked by that individual while she made the call," Washington County Sheriff Dan Starry said.
Officers tried to subdue 45-year-old Trevor Joseph Wunderlich with a taser, but he broke free and fled, the sheriff's office said.
The woman, identified as Charlene Wunderlich, died at the hospital. She was Trevor Wunderlich's mother.
Law enforcement locked down the rural area, and found Trevor Wunderlich hunkered down in a trailer on a separate property, about 3 miles away from the home.
The homeowner said her dogs were growling outside the trailer. When she opened the door, she yelled to her son to call 911, but then Trevor Wunderlich started chasing her. The homeowner's son called police, ran to the trailer, told Trevor Wunderlich he had a gun, and ordered him to bear hug a tree. Trevor Wunderlich complied, but then he took down off the driveway, where squad cars and K-9 officers were waiting for him.
The homeowner's son did not have a gun, but instead was holding his cell phone behind his back, with 911 on speaker phone.
Trevor Wunderlich was taken into custody around 11 a.m. Tuesday.
According to Washington County Sheriff Dan Starry, Trevor Wunderlich has a criminal record, and law enforcement had "many" encounters with him over the years. He is in Washington County Jail pending formal charges.
Authorities also said there were several dogs at the home.
"They all appear well-cared for, and we are in the process of contacting the owners so arrangements can be made to pick them up," the sheriff's office said.
