FARGO
Lori Roberts' death was officially ruled a homicide Monday, a step her family hopes will pave the way for an arrest in the Friday shooting.
A preliminary autopsy showed that Roberts, who was found shot dead in her home in Doran, Minn., died from the gunshot wound, investigators ruled.
It was an encouraging bit of news for the 49-year-old's family, who believe they know who killed Roberts.
Stephanie Holding Eagle, 26, of Wahpeton, N.D., said though investigators have shared little publicly, they are looking at the same man the family suspects.
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"We know who did it. They know who did it," Holding Eagle said. "They're just waiting for tests."
The Forum isn't identifying the man the family has named because he has not been charged with a crime.
Wilkin County Sheriff Tom Matejka declined to say whether authorities have any specific suspects, saying only that investigators were conducting interviews Monday.
Matejka said he doesn't think any suspects pose a danger to the community.
Few details concerning the killing have been released. Matejka would not say what sort of gun was used, where Roberts' body was found in her home or the location of the gunshot wound. Wilkin County deputies found Roberts after a 911 call shortly after 8:40 a.m. Friday.
Holding Eagle said officers have found three guns in her mother's home. Roberts did not own any guns, she said, and even forbid her children from owning toy guns.
"My mom hated guns," she said.
Services for Roberts will likely be Thursday or Friday, said Holding Eagle, the youngest of three daughters.
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Family from California, where Roberts moved from in 2000, have flown in to help during what Holding Eagle called "a dark time."
"It's just been really, really hard. He took something from us that no one could ever, ever replace," she said.
The Forum of Fargo-Moorhead and the Herald are Forum Communications Co. newspapers.
