A man was found dead in a parking lot after a woman uses his card at an ATM\n
On the morning of August 29, 2013, the body of 26-year-old Hagos Tsegay Melake, an African-American male, was discovered in the parking lot of a business in Shoreview, Minnesota. An autopsy later confirmed that he had died from a gunshot wound. The investigation into his death would reveal a series of events leading up to the tragic discovery, yet leave his family with more questions than answers.
The evening before, on August 28th, Hagos Tsegay Melake had taken a bus to downtown St. Paul and was last seen leaving the Hunan Garden Restaurant on Cedar Street around 1:30 a.m. on August 29th. It was reported that he left the restaurant with two unidentified individuals. A short time later, at approximately 4:30 a.m., his credit card was used at a U.S. Bank ATM on West Broadway in Minneapolis. Surveillance footage from the bank captured images of an unidentified woman using the card. This woman was later publicly identified by law enforcement as a person of interest in the case.
Further investigation into Melake's recent past uncovered a violent robbery that had occurred just two weeks prior to his murder. In that incident, he was assaulted and robbed of a significant amount of cash. In a strange twist, Melake managed to obtain one of the robber's cell phones and had been attempting to contact the assailants to get his money back. He had even scheduled a meeting with a St. Paul police officer to discuss the robbery, an appointment he would never keep. Two men were eventually arrested and charged in connection with this earlier robbery, but any definitive link to his murder remained elusive.
Despite the identification of several persons of interest, including the woman at the ATM and the two individuals seen leaving the restaurant with him, no arrests have been made in the murder of Hagos Tsegay Melake. The case grew cold, leaving his family to plead with the public for any information that might lead to the apprehension of those responsible for his death. The investigation remains open, a painful and unresolved chapter in the lives of his loved ones.
