Police Investigate 1st Homicide In Minneapolis
MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) -- Police are investigating the first murder of the year in Minneapolis. Now, authorities are trying to figure out if an online ad had anything to do with the homicide.
Forty-five-year-old Christopher Paul Bates, 45, was found dead inside her apartment on the 1300 block of Linden Avenue on Tuesday afternoon.
According to the Hennepin County Medical Examiner, Bates died as a result of complex homicidal violence. Police reported possible stab wounds.
The apartment's caretaker found Bates unresponsive and called 911. EMTs determined Bates was dead and that the death warranted a police investigation.
Bates, whose legal name is Christopher, used Chrissie as her first name and lived as a transgender woman. She had reportedly told friends recently that she was scared for her safety.
Police are looking into an ad posted on Backpage.com, an online classified listing, because Bates' number was used in the post. The ad, posted on Dec. 17, 2010, was for intimate services for $100 an hour.
The apartment building also has a history of problems. In just 2010, police got 95 calls to 911 from the building. Police will investigate the history of 911 calls to the building.
Outfront Minnesota is an advocacy group that is monitoring the case. The group says both local and national records show that transgender women are vulnerable to attack.
Police are not saying how Chrissie was killed.
The Minneapolis Police Department Homicide Unit requested anyone with information about the case to call the TIPS line at (612) 692-8477.
WCCO-TV's Esme Murphy Reports
