WAITE PARK, MN (April 12, 2025) — Authorities are investigating after two adults died following a murder-suicide incident that occurred in a home on the 200 block of 10th Avenue North in Waite Park.
At approximately 2:12 p.m., Waite Park Police Officers—who were in the area on an unrelated matter—heard gunshots and immediately notified Stearns County Dispatch. Two young children, ages 5 and 8, fled the residence and informed officers that a shooting had occurred inside. Officers quickly secured the children in a squad car for their safety and proceeded to enter the home.
Inside, officers discovered the bodies of Janet Vercruysse, 36, of Waite Park, and Demico Elyea-Goss, 29, of St. Cloud. Both were pronounced dead at the scene. Authorities also recovered multiple firearms from the residence.
The Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension (BCA) Crime Scene Team was called in to assist in the ongoing investigation. The bodies of Vercruysse and Elyea-Goss were transported to the Midwest Medical Examiner’s Office for autopsies to determine the exact causes of death.
The relationship between the deceased individuals has not been publicly disclosed, and no further details regarding the circumstances of the shooting have been released at this time.
Authorities are continuing to investigate what led to this tragic incident. The children, whose identities are being withheld for privacy, are safe and currently in protective care.
This devastating event has left the Waite Park community in mourning, as friends, neighbors, and family members await answers and grieve the loss of two lives.
