MANKATO (TEC News) – A 19-year-old Golden Valley man is in custody for Friday’s murder of a Mankato woman.The body of 19-year-old Josselyn Marie Bishop was found around 2:30 p.m. by a truck driver on North Victory Drive, near the intersection of Sohler Drive.
PHOTO Left: A single, lonely flower is left behind along North Riverfront Drive as a memorial to Bishop at the scene of her murder. by Randall Harder, TEC News
PHOTO Left: A single, lonely flower is left behind along North Riverfront Drive as a memorial to Bishop at the scene of her murder. by Randall Harder, TEC News
This afternoon Ramsey County Medical Examiners allowed Mankato police to officially identify Bishop. Results from a provisional autopsy are still pending, but police say Bishop suffered “multiple stab wounds to her body.”
The driver called 9-1-1, telling a dispatcher he didn’t believe the woman was breathing.
Within minutes, Mankato police, fire and Gold Cross ambulance were at the scene. Life saving measures were unsuccessful and Bishop was pronounced dead at the scene.
Bishop had no ID and police put out an alert to area media with a description, hoping for a lead.
Detective Commander Matt DuRose says it was a phone call from Bishop’s roommate that gave them their first lead. The woman told police Bishop didn’t not show up for work and no one had heard from her.PHOTO Right: Detective Commander Matt DuRose addresses the media Saturday afternoon as fellow members of the Department of Public Safety look on.
Bishop Homicide Press Conference 070911 by threeeaglesradionews
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Until we received the phone call from the friend, this was going to be a difficult case,” said DuRose.
After comparing photos, investigations say they were confident the victim was Bishop.. After a series of interviews, the investigation led police to Golden Valley and the eventual arrest of Damone Christopher Williams-Tillman.
Police say friends know him as Chris Tillman.
Tillman agreed to be interviewed by Mankato detectives. Based on those interviews, police placed him under arrested and brought him to the Blue Earth County Justice Center.
He has been book on charges of Second Degree Intentional Murder. He would need to make his first court appearance by noon Tuesday.
Bishop was a student at Minnesota State University, Mankato. A YouTube video shot by a fellow student and posted this past April shows Bishop with Tillman in his dorm room.
“Right now we know there was a previous relationship, to the extent we don’t know,” said DuRose. “We’re gathering witnesses, people that knew them and would be able to provide some additional information.”
DuRose says they are working on a timeline for the pair. As of the press conference Saturday afternoon, police say the last time Bishop was seen alive was about a half-hour before her body was found.
Police say they are looking for the public’s help in tracking down the whereabouts of Bishop, Tillman and the suspect’s car, a blue, Ford Focus in the hours before the incident.
DuRose says they are looking for any and all leads. He says the public should call with any information and let police sort out what is and isn’t important.
Police say they are attempting to obtain any surveillance video they can find in the area as they piece their case together.