Sharon Gorecki was a 39-year-old Minneapolis woman who was found murdered in her home on Friday, April 12, 1991 after not showing up for work. She was last seen alive around 4 a.m. at her home at 4628 Oakland Avenue in Minneapolis. Sharon was found by her younger sister at around 12:20 p.m. The back door of the house was damaged, and the front door closed but unlocked. She had recently broken up with her longtime boyfriend who was possibly married, as well as recently renting out her basement to another man.
The majority of this information comes from a Star Tribune article written a day or two after her death. At the time, police were releasing few details and I am unaware of any other articles regarding Sharons death at this time. My mother was Sharons supervisor at the time, and was the one to call Sharons sister to inform her of her absence at work. According to her, Sharon was potentially getting ready for work and was interrupted. Sharons dog was also apparently locked in the breezeway of her home. I am currently in the process of a records request from the Minneapolis Police department regarding this case, but have not received any further information at this time and would appreciate any thoughts on the case or how to proceed looking into it.
This is the Star Tribune article copied from the archives:
Woman is found dead in her Minneapolis home
By Peter Leyden; Staff Writer
The bloodied body of a woman believed to be in her late 30s was found in her south Minneapolis house Friday, an apparent homicide victim. The woman, whose name was not released by authorities, was found by her younger sister at the house in the 4600 block of Oakland Av. S. about 12:20 p.m. after she failed to show up for work in the morning. An autopsy is expected to be performed this morning. Police are releasing few details. However, neighbors who spoke with the sister gave some sketchy information.
"I hope they find out who did it - it's kind of scary," said a neighbor. "It has been a quiet neighborhood - this really shook us up."
The woman had lived in the Field neighborhood on the northern edge of Minnehaha Pkwy. between Interstate Hwy. 35W and Lake Nokomis for about 11 years, had no children and lived a quiet lifestyle, said Dorothy Austin, a neighbor.
The victim had recently broken up with her longtime boyfriend and she recently had rented out a basement room to another man, a neighbor said. The victim had been employed many years at the same job and her employers became worried when she did not show up for work yesterday, the neighbor said.
He described this sequence that led the discovery:
The woman's employers called the sister after the woman failed to show up for work, and the sister left her job with her supervisor to check. When they arrived, the two found the back door of the house damaged; the door frame was cracked from someone apparently trying to force open the locked door. The sister and her supervisor - and another neighbor who joined them - then went to the front of the house and found the front porch door and the front door closed, but unlocked.
The man said police were called from the house next door after the supervisor and the neighbor looked through the door and saw the woman's blood-covered body. Minneapolis police and the Hennepin County medical examiner have not released any information about the cause of death or about whether any type of weapon was used. The medical examiner said the woman was last seen alive yesterday at 4 a.m. at her home, about 8 hours before the body was found. The sister said she last saw the victim when she left the house at about 7 p.m. Thursday and that the victim had said she planned to go out shopping that evening, a neighbor said.
The majority of this information comes from a Star Tribune article written a day or two after her death. At the time, police were releasing few details and I am unaware of any other articles regarding Sharons death at this time. My mother was Sharons supervisor at the time, and was the one to call Sharons sister to inform her of her absence at work. According to her, Sharon was potentially getting ready for work and was interrupted. Sharons dog was also apparently locked in the breezeway of her home. I am currently in the process of a records request from the Minneapolis Police department regarding this case, but have not received any further information at this time and would appreciate any thoughts on the case or how to proceed looking into it.
This is the Star Tribune article copied from the archives:
Woman is found dead in her Minneapolis home
By Peter Leyden; Staff Writer
The bloodied body of a woman believed to be in her late 30s was found in her south Minneapolis house Friday, an apparent homicide victim. The woman, whose name was not released by authorities, was found by her younger sister at the house in the 4600 block of Oakland Av. S. about 12:20 p.m. after she failed to show up for work in the morning. An autopsy is expected to be performed this morning. Police are releasing few details. However, neighbors who spoke with the sister gave some sketchy information.
"I hope they find out who did it - it's kind of scary," said a neighbor. "It has been a quiet neighborhood - this really shook us up."
The woman had lived in the Field neighborhood on the northern edge of Minnehaha Pkwy. between Interstate Hwy. 35W and Lake Nokomis for about 11 years, had no children and lived a quiet lifestyle, said Dorothy Austin, a neighbor.
The victim had recently broken up with her longtime boyfriend and she recently had rented out a basement room to another man, a neighbor said. The victim had been employed many years at the same job and her employers became worried when she did not show up for work yesterday, the neighbor said.
He described this sequence that led the discovery:
The woman's employers called the sister after the woman failed to show up for work, and the sister left her job with her supervisor to check. When they arrived, the two found the back door of the house damaged; the door frame was cracked from someone apparently trying to force open the locked door. The sister and her supervisor - and another neighbor who joined them - then went to the front of the house and found the front porch door and the front door closed, but unlocked.
The man said police were called from the house next door after the supervisor and the neighbor looked through the door and saw the woman's blood-covered body. Minneapolis police and the Hennepin County medical examiner have not released any information about the cause of death or about whether any type of weapon was used. The medical examiner said the woman was last seen alive yesterday at 4 a.m. at her home, about 8 hours before the body was found. The sister said she last saw the victim when she left the house at about 7 p.m. Thursday and that the victim had said she planned to go out shopping that evening, a neighbor said.
