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Farniok also noted that police felt there was “no immediate threat to the community” and it was a “contained situation” with no current suspects — stopping short of describing the deaths as a murder-suicide.
“This is an active investigation,” he told reporters on Wednesday. “We are releasing very minimal investigation due to the fact that this investigation is ongoing, but we do want to indicate that we feel there is no immediate threat to the community.”
“We don’t see this very often — in any of our communities, this doesn’t happen,” Farniok added. “We are taking this seriously. We’re looking at it from every aspect.”
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Though police were unable to confirm the details around the case, Dennis Mathisen, one of Irwin’s longtime business partners, told
“[Alexandra] had been in a wheelchair for the last year or so and had signs of dementia. Irwin was just distraught over her condition,” he told the publication, adding that he learned of the tragedy after speaking to Irwin’s secretary and son Mark Jacobs.
Mathisen also said he last spoke to his friend just a few days ago and he seemed “upbeat.”
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Irwin was well-known in the business world — in part due to his aggressive techniques of buying and liquidating struggling companies, earning himself the nickname of “Irv the Liquidator,” according to
In the 1980s, he owned a minority share of the Minnesota Vikings but had sold it by 1991. Throughout his life, he also owned Grain Belt Beer Company and boatmaking company Genmar Holdings Co. — both of which he had since sold, the outlet reports.
At the time of his death, Irwin was the owner of soap and household products company J.R. Watkins Co. in Winona and retail merchandise trading company Jacobs Trading Co.
The father of five was also very much involved in giving back and donated $8 million to the Special Olympics in 1991 — a cause that was particularly important to him and his wife, who shared a daughter with cerebral palsy, according to Fast Forward.
The couple had lived on their lakefront estate for almost 50 years. In 2014, the couple decided to put the home was listed for $22 million.
Irwin told
Later in 2014, the home was pulled off the market and the couple decided to just sell some of their 32 acres of land instead, according to