Media Release: Update Tia Arleth Case
On June 22nd, 2022, The Olmsted County Sheriff’s Office held a press conference about a deceased person call. The details of that press conference dealt with Sheriff’s Office Deputies being called to the area of County Road 2 and 70th Ave NE in Haverhill Township on Friday, June 17th, for a deceased person that had been found there under obviously suspicious circumstances. The condition of the deceased made it extremely difficult to determine the identity of our victim at that time. The Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension (BCA) assisted in the processing of the scene as well as evidence collection. Through our investigation, that deceased person was eventually positively identified as Tia Mercedes Arleth, a 28-year-old female from Minneapolis but with past residency, history, and ties to the Rochester area. Ms. Arleth had been reported missing to the Rochester Police Department on June 12th by her mother, having last been seen in the Rochester area on May 30th.
Since the original call, our Detectives and Investigators have been working on Ms. Arleth’s case as a suspicious death. At the time of the press conference on June 22nd, we asked for help from the public with any information they may have to help in the investigation, and as a result, we spoke with numerous people and followed up on several leads. Throughout this investigation, we received information from several sources- both persons and evidence- about the circumstances leading to her death and who our suspect(s) may be. While we will not go into detail as to what that evidence is today, as it will be laid out in the criminal complaint and court proceedings that will follow, we are here today to announce the identity of the suspect and the charges being filed.
After working closely with the Olmsted County Attorney’s Office and submitting our case file for their review, a criminal complaint was filed this morning in Olmsted County District Court charging Timothy Daniel Loftus, a 41-year-old Rochester resident, with 3rd Degree Homicide and Interference with a Dead Body. Mr. Loftus has been in custody in the Olmsted County Adult Detention Center since July 15th of this year on other criminal charges. He will make his first appearance for arraignment on these new charges tomorrow, Friday, November 4th.
As stated in June, which is just as true today, our condolences continue to go out to Ms. Arleth’s family and friends. Their loss has been made worse by the time spent since this tragedy wondering why Tia was taken from them and who was responsible. While the identification of Tim Loftus as a suspect and the filing of criminal charges may not lessen their pain over Tia’s loss, we do hope this does help provide them with the first steps in providing some sense of comfort and closure. Please keep Tia’s family and friends in your thoughts and prayers and respect their need for privacy during this very difficult time.