Jan Kruse Obituary Is Her Murderer Still On The Loose?

May 2024 · 2 minute read

Jan Kruse’s obituary details were revealed by her immediate family. The woman who originally belonged to Worthington, Minnesota, was shot dead on August 19th, 2015. 

In the early hours of August 19, 2015, Christopher Kruse dialed 911 after discovering his wife had been shot in the chest.

Kruse stated they were sleeping when he heard the sound of a gunshot in their small town home in Brewster, Minnesota.

After checking up on his daughter, who was sleeping in another room, Kruse reported the crime to law enforcement.

According to Kruse, the intruder/his wife’s alleged murderer entered their home through the back door. 

The victim’s autopsy revealed that she was not subjected to any physical altercation before her death and that she was most likely awake at the time of her gruesome murder. 

She was 40 years old at the time of her death.

The case took a 360-degree turn when the authorities indicted Chris Kruse, the victim’s husband, for the first-degree premeditated murder of his wife. 

Two 12-gauge shotgun shells were found at the crime scene, which matched Kruse’s shotgun.

The verdict came almost three and a half years after Jan’s murder. 

Though Kruse claimed an intruder broke in and killed his wife, he made no attempts to increase security in the days following the murder, which decreased the credibility of his claim. 

On February 13th, 2020, after 12 hours of deliberation from the jury, Kruse was found not guilty. The investigation has since been closed.

NBC’s Dateline released a two-hour-long episode of Jan’s death in 2020 called ‘Far From Spider Lake.’

The network re-aired the episode on March 19th, 2023, during Dateline Weekend NBC.

Who was Jan Kruse?

Jan Pigman-Kruse was born in Worthington, Minnesota, on September 24, 1974. She went to Worthington Community College, where she received her associate’s degree.

On October 7, 1995, Jan married Christopher Kruse. The two share a daughter named Bailey Kruse.

According to Jan’s obituary, Jan enjoyed traveling, quilting, and gardening. 

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