Law enforcement officials in Blue Earth County are investigating the apparent homicide of a 57-year-old woman in rural Lake Crystal, Minn., west of Mankato.

Deputies responded Thursday evening to a residence on 515th Avenue near Hwy. 60 after a caller reported finding their friend unresponsive inside a home. Shortly after the deputies arrived, they found Kristi Joy Gardner dead, according to a statement from the Blue Earth County Sheriff's Office.

An autopsy by the Ramsey County Medical Examiner's Office determined that Gardner, of rural Lake Crystal, died of multiple gunshot wounds.

Investigators learned Gardner had been in a relationship with a 64-year-old New Ulm man, the statement said. Officers located the man at about 6 a.m. Friday in his garage in New Ulm with an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound. He was taken to a Minneapolis hospital and remained unresponsive Friday evening.

The statement from the Sheriff's Office did not describe the man as a suspect in the case, but said it did not believe there was a further threat to the public. The state Bureau of Criminal Apprehension is helping with the investigation.