Roseville authorities investigating whether hallucinogens factored into a double murder-suicide this weekend found a large amount of mushrooms in containers of various sizes at the scene, according to a search warrant.
According to the warrant filed Tuesday, officers searched the apartment on the 1600 block of Eldridge Avenue about four hours after one of the victims' girlfriends called 911. Inside they found one jar of mushrooms, eight jars and a plastic container of mushroom spawn, and "suspected mushrooms" inside six plastic containers, five jars, two bags, one bin and a box. The warrant did not say whether the mushrooms had been tested for the presence of hallucinogens.
Police also found a Ruger rifle in a closet and a magazine with ammunition in a safe.
Although the Roseville Police Department is still investigating the case with help from the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension, authorities have said hallucinogenic drugs may have been involved.
"A motive has not been identified, [but] initial indications suggest hallucinogenic drugs may have been a contributing factor," Deputy Police Chief Joe Adams previously said in a statement.
Adams was unavailable for comment Wednesday.
Police were sent to Eldridge Avenue at around 2:30 a.m. Saturday after 33-year-old Nou Xiong sent his girlfriend a picture of a serious knife wound to his neck. Xiong told his girlfriend that he was unsure if three other men inside the residence were alive.
Xiong's girlfriend called 911, and investigators arrived to find him and three men with knife and gunshot wounds. Xiong was taken to Regions hospital for emergency surgery. His condition was upgraded to good on Monday.
The others, Meng Vang, John Thao and Fong Vang, all 32, died at the scene. Meng Vang is suspected of attacking the three before killing himself.
"According to Xiong, an unprovoked Meng Vang suddenly started attacking him with a knife," Adams previously said. "Xiong was eventually able to escape to a bedroom and summon help."
There were no police-related calls to the apartment and no documented law enforcement contacts with Meng Vang before the incident.
Family and friends poured their grief for the men's deaths onto social media. Some asked for support in paying for their funerals. Others asked, "Why?"
"We were just hanging out last Thursday at my house, and it's not even Thursday yet this week.. and it's already your funeral!? This is just so unreal and unbelievable!" Leena Xiong said on social media.
Leng Vang, Fong's brother, remembers his brother as a smart, selfless man who loved to fish for smelt around Lake Superior — a hobby learned from their father who died 15 years ago. Vang said Fong and the other victims were friends who went to Patrick Henry High School together in Minneapolis.
"[Meng] was a little bit of a loner, if you will, but Fong, being the type of person he is, brought him into the group of friends. And that's how he stayed friends with them," Leng said in an interview. "The only thing I can't get is why when Fong was so nice to him?"
The Star Tribune was unable to reach Meng's family for comment.
Fong Vang's memorial service is Sunday. Donations to cover costs for his funeral have raised nearly half of the family's $15,000 goal. A fundraiser for Thao hopes to gather $20,000 to support his family. It's unclear when Thao or Meng Vang will be buried.
