Faribault man arrested for Ohio woman’s death

Published 3:06 pm Saturday, August 8, 2015

FARIBAULT — Faribault police have arrested a 39-year-old man who is suspected of killing a missing Ohio woman.

The man led police Friday to the body in a wooded area in Warsaw Township across from Shager Park, where the woman’s car was found Monday, according to Rice County Sheriff Troy Dunn. The area is about 50 miles south of Minneapolis.

Police believe the woman is 24-year-old Chelsea Martinez, who was reported missing from Columbus, Ohio. The body was taken to Hennepin County Medical Examiner for positive identification.

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Law enforcement searched throughout the week on the nearby trails, the park area and along the lake shore but found nothing.

Information gathered from family members and the Columbus police department led to a possible connection between the Faribault man and Martinez. The man was arrested Friday.

Dunn said his office had no prior contact with the man. Court records show one minor traffic conviction in Steele County from more than a decade ago, according to the newspaper. The man is expected to be formally charged Monday in Rice County.

“We hope this will bring closure to the family and the victim,” Dunn said.

Dunn would not elaborate on how the two met, whether the man confessed to killing Martinez or any details about how Martinez died.