UPDATED: Death of Twin Lakes Township man ruled accidental

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The Carlton County Sheriff’s Department said Tuesday that a man found dead last Friday in his Twin Lakes Township home died of a blow to his head resulting from an accidental fall. The body of Larry Ralph Martin, 66, was discovered after Carlton County Dispatch received a 911 call at approximately 10:25 a.m. Friday.

According to Sheriff Kelly Lake, the person reporting the incident said he was looking through the window of a home in Twin Lakes Township and he could see a man lying on the floor. He didn’t know if the man was dead or alive, but he said the doors were locked and he couldn’t get inside the residence. Lake said the caller indicated he had been contacted by the family of Anna Mae Mackai, 71, who also lived at the residence, asking him to check on her welfare since they hadn’t heard from her in a couple of days.

Carlton Ambulance and Carlton County deputies responded to the house and located Martin, who was deceased. Lake said subsequent investigation and an autopsy determined that Martin died from head trauma sustained in an accidental fall after hitting his head on the wall hard enough to cause damage to the wall. Alcohol is believed to be a contributing factor to the fall. Lake said preliminary autopsy results were unable to determine the exact time of Martin’s death and she indicated that additional results will not be available until a later date.

At the time of the incident, Mackai was also discovered in a room in the basement of the home “suffering from an unknown medical condition,” according to the sheriff’s department. Mackai was transported by ambulance to Community Memorial Hospital in Cloquet, and according to family members on Tuesday, she is currently being treated at a Duluth hospital for a pre-existing medical condition. Lake said the woman was unable to give a statement at the time of the incident due to her medical condition.

Deputies had initially strung yellow crime scene tape across the driveway entrance to the two-story home, which they took down when a Bureau of Criminal Apprehension (BCA) mobile lab arrived at approximately 3:30 p.m.

“When an incident such as this happens, and before we have any real information about it,” said Lake, “we have to take public safety into account and take what action we feel might be necessary at the time.”

On Wednesday, Lake said enough information has been secured in the case that she feels confident that Martin’s death was accidental.

Martin worked for several years at USG, retiring in 2010. He was also a member of the National Guard.

Tags: carlton county, carlton, crime