Neighbors Shocked Following St. Paul Woman's Suspicious Death
ST. PAUL, Minn. (WCCO) -- St. Paul police are giving few details on Wednesday's suspicious death on the city's east side.
However, the victim's neighbors say that 79-year-old Myong "Suzie" Gossel was found dead inside her home after concerned friends went to check on her welfare.
Neighbors fear her death was a homicide.
"It's really surprising," neighbor Jeff Leithead said. "I just did not expect to see it in this neighborhood."
Leithead lives just down the block from the crime scene and was at work when police cars lined his neighborhood.
When friends couldn't reach Gossel Wednesday afternoon, they went inside her home and discovered the elderly widow's lifeless body.
Police have been at the home ever since.
"Everybody seems really friendly around her and helpful, and it's just a shock to see that," Leithead said.
Other neighbors say that Gossel was born in Korea and moved to America with her GI husband, Truman, shortly after their marriage in 1974. She worked for the Gillette Corporation in St. Paul until she retired and still drove a car.
When her husband died in 2011, neighbors took care of her lawn and home while she repaid them with her delicious cooking.
But the neighborhood that once seemed so safe and carefree is now filled with sadness and doubt.
"Seems to be going on a lot more, and it's too bad it happened," Leithead said.
Police are keeping tight-lipped on the case and won't say why they think she was targeted or how the killer got in.
But they do want your help.
If you saw anything or have any information, call St. Paul Police homicide at 651-266-5650.
