Hibbing Man Arrested in 2017 Killing of 71-Year-Old Woman

HIBBING, Minn. (AP) _ A Hibbing man has been charged in the killing a 71-year-old woman in 2017.

The St. Louis County Sheriff's Office reports that 51-year-old Blake Andrew Stangel has been charged with manslaughter in the death of Courtney Lee Fenske in November 2017.

Fenske's body was found in her Hibbing home after a welfare check was requested by her mail carrier at the time. An autopsy showed that Fenske was strangled to death.

Police had identified Stangel, a former renter at Fenske's home, as a suspect and arrested him on May 24 in Hibbing on unrelated charges.

Police say Stangel agreed to provide a DNA sample, which was tested with DNA obtained from the crime scene and found to be a match.