A quiet stretch of County Road 39 near Deer River turned into a crime scene Thursday evening after deputies found 37-year-old Rikki Skog lying in a roadside ditch. She was pronounced dead where she was found, and Itasca County investigators say they are treating her death as suspicious. Preliminary information indicates Skog was last seen on July 15, and state and local agencies are now working alongside the sheriff’s office in an active investigation.
According to the Itasca County Sheriff’s Office, deputies were sent out around 7 p.m. Thursday for a report of a woman in the ditch along County Road 39. The woman was later identified as Skog, as reported by KSTP. She was pronounced dead at the scene, and authorities are holding back additional details while they sort through evidence. Investigators have asked for the public’s help in retracing Skog’s movements on or after July 15.
BCA Crime-Scene Team Joins The Inquiry
Given the circumstances and the rural location, the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension’s crime-scene team was called in to help process the site. The Deer River Police Department, Leech Lake Tribal Police and the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources also assisted at the scene, according to CBS Minnesota. Officials say the investigation remains very much active and that they are not releasing further specifics for now while they work through the case with state crime-scene specialists.
What Investigators Are Asking For
Investigators are urging anyone who saw Skog on or after Wednesday, July 15, or who has information that could help the case, to call the Itasca County Sheriff’s Office tip line at 218-326-3477, option 1, according to reporting by WDIO. The sheriff’s office has also asked residents to bring tips directly to law enforcement instead of posting unverified speculation on social media while the investigation is ongoing.
Multi-Agency Response In Rural Communities
Local reporting notes that calling in the BCA crime-scene team underscores how agencies in northern Minnesota often pool resources for major investigations in rural areas, according to KAXE. Authorities say they plan to release more information as evidence is processed and as it becomes appropriate to share updates with the public.
