Merrick B. Garland, Attorney General | https://www.justice.gov/
Merrick B. Garland, Attorney General | https://www.justice.gov/
A man has been indicted on charges of involuntary manslaughter following the death of a woman on the Bois Forte Reservation. The announcement was made by Acting U.S. Attorney Lisa D. Kirkpatrick.
Court documents reveal that on December 17, 2024, several calls were made to the St. Louis County 911 Center regarding an apparently intoxicated woman walking on Tibbets Trail near the Fortune Bay Resort and Casino. Officers found the woman unconscious in the snow upon arrival at the scene, and she was later pronounced dead.
Vehicle debris found at the site included pieces from a dark blue vehicle and plastic parts resembling headlights or turn signals. Based on this evidence and the accident's location, law enforcement sought surveillance footage from Fortune Bay Resort and Casino to identify any blue vehicles leaving around that time. The casino staff identified a dark blue Dodge Durango departing during that period.
Eric Scott Peterson, aged 50, was identified as the registered owner of this vehicle. A search warrant executed at his residence revealed a blue Dodge Durango with damage consistent with debris collected from the accident scene.
Peterson has been indicted on two counts of involuntary manslaughter and was arraigned in U.S. District Court before Magistrate Judge Leo I. Brisbois.
The investigation into this case involved collaboration between Bois Forte Police Department, Minnesota State Patrol, and the FBI.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Nichole J. Carter is leading the prosecution of this case.
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