Albert Lea police have asked the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension (BCA) to take the lead in investigating last week’s apparent homicide of 17-month-old Makaio Lynn Radke.

Friday, April 27, 2001

Albert Lea police have asked the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension (BCA) to take the lead in investigating last week’s apparent homicide of 17-month-old Makaio Lynn Radke.

Albert Lea police will assist the BCA in the ongoing murder investigation, said Assistant Police Chief Dwaine Winkels.

Because of the infrequency of homicides in Albert Lea, local police will rely on the BCA’s investigative expertise and equipment. Modern homicide investigations require a great deal of technical equipment and specialized scientific knowledge, he said.

&uot;Homicide investigation is like an art form, and we don’t have a lot of that kind of crime down here,&uot; Winkels said. &uot;Given that it is such a serious crime, we want to make sure we leave no stone unturned.&uot;

Winkels could not comment on the ongoing investigation or estimate how much longer it may continue, but said Albert Lea police will aid the BCA in suggesting and finding interview subjects and perform other investigative tasks.

&uot;We act as their hands and arms,&uot; he said.

During the past decade Albert Lea has had two homicides, according to records at the Law Enforcement Center.

Early in the morning of Oct. 9, 1994, Gene Morris Hanson was stabbed in front of the VFW, then located at the corner of Clark Street and Newton Avenue. He died two days later at Naeve Hospital. Juan Chappa Lopez was arrested and later charged and convicted in Freeborn County District Court for Hanson’s death.

On Sept. 3, 1991, Lester John Greenfield reportedly shot his wife, Ruth Greenfield, then himself. The Albert Lea Police Department investigated and termed this incident to be a murder-suicide.