DULUTH, Minn. - A man has been indicted for involuntary manslaughter after the death of a woman on the Bois Forte Reservation, announced Acting U.S. Attorney Lisa D. Kirkpatrick.

According to court documents, on December 17, 2024, the St. Louis County 911 Center received several calls regarding an apparently intoxicated woman walking on Tibbets Trail near the Fortune Bay Resort and Casino. Officers were dispatched to the scene and discovered an unconscious woman lying in the snow. The victim was transported from the scene and pronounced dead. Vehicle debris at the scene included pieces from a dark blue vehicle and pieces of plastic that appeared to be headlights or turn signals. Given this information and the location of the accident, law enforcement contacted the Fortune Bay Resort and Casino for any surveillance footage that may show blue vehicles departing the casino around the time of the 911 calls. Casino staff was able to identify a dark blue Dodge Durango departing the casino. Eric Scott Peterson, 50, was determined to be the registered owner of the vehicle. A search warrant was executed at his residence, where a blue Dodge Durango was found in the driveway with damage consistent with the debris collected from the accident scene.

Peterson was indicted on two counts of involuntary manslaughter. He was arraigned yesterday in U.S. District Court before Magistrate Judge Leo I. Brisbois.

This case is the result of an investigation conducted by Bois Forte Police Department, Minnesota State Patrol, and the FBI.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Nichole J. Carter is prosecuting the case.