(KNSI) – The St. Cloud Police Department says an arrest has been made in a suspicious death from this past June after an investigation determined the victim had been poisoned to death with thallium.
On Wednesday, a 35-year-old man was picked up in Moorhead for the alleged poisoning, which happened at a sober house in the 400 block of 27th Avenue North of St. Cloud. The man was living with 33-year-old Cody Ray Ernst on June 20th when Ernst was admitted to the University of Minnesota Hospital in Minneapolis in grave condition.
Staff at the hospital determined it was an extremely high and lethal dose of thallium, a byproduct of heavy metal smelting that is used in rat poison. Today, it is found in electronics and medical equipment, particularly cardiac stress tests. It has a long history as a poison, as it is tasteless, odorless, and almost impossible to detect. Ernst died at the hospital after having been a patient for two days.
According to a press release, a multi-agency investigation pointed to the suspect intentionally poisoning Ernst. The effort included the Fridley, Maple Grove, and Moorhead Police Departments, Hennepin County, Pine County, and Washington County Sheriff’s offices, the Central Minnesota Violent Offender Task Force, the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation.
The suspect has a lengthy rap sheet, including a conviction in 2023 for third-degree assault in Minneapolis, in which he beat a man who had visited his apartment to conduct a urine analysis. The victim was seriously injured after repeated kicks by the suspect to his face and head.
KNSI News has a policy of not identifying suspects until they’re formally charged and appear in court.
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