A maintenance notice left beneath an apartment door became an unexpected clue in the death of a Minneapolis woman who had repeatedly contacted police about her boyfriend.
For several days, the flyer remained untouched. When someone finally became concerned and requested a welfare check, officers discovered 47-year-old Allison Lussier dead inside her apartment.
More than two years later, prosecutors have charged her former boyfriend, Charles Foss, 36, with second-degree murder and stalking.
The charges have renewed scrutiny of how Minneapolis police handled Lussier’s earlier requests for help, including at least nine emergency calls involving Foss before her death.
Investigators allege that Foss violently assaulted Lussier in February 2024, causing a fatal head injury. They also say he later made incriminating statements to several people about what had happened.
The case has raised difficult questions about domestic violence warning signs, delayed police responses and the challenges of protecting people who repeatedly report threatening behavior.
A maintenance flyer that raised concerns
Lussier was discovered dead on February 22, 2024, inside her Minneapolis apartment.
According to court documents, someone familiar with Lussier had last spoken with her on February 17. Two days later, that person slipped a flyer beneath her apartment door to notify her about upcoming maintenance work.
When the person returned on February 22, the notice was still in the same position.
Concerned that Lussier had not moved the flyer or responded to the notice, the individual contacted authorities and requested a welfare check.
Officers entered the apartment and found Lussier lying on a mattress on the floor. Investigators believed she had been dead for several days.
What initially appeared to be an unexplained death eventually became the subject of a homicide investigation involving a history of reported domestic disturbances.
The discovery also highlighted how a seemingly minor detail, such as an untouched piece of paper, can prompt someone to seek help when a neighbor or acquaintance suddenly stops responding.
Police had removed her boyfriend days earlier
Investigators learned that Lussier had contacted police shortly before her death because Foss was inside her apartment and allegedly refused to leave.
On February 16, 2024, officers responded to her request for assistance.
According to the criminal complaint, police escorted Foss from the apartment and instructed him not to return.
However, investigators later discovered that Lussier and Foss remained in contact.
On February 18, Lussier sent Foss messages indicating that she wanted to avoid another confrontation.
“I don’t want to fight or talk about anything that’s gonna turn into a fight,” she wrote in one message, according to court documents.
She also expressed affection while emphasizing that she needed to protect her own well-being.
Later that afternoon, Foss reportedly called Lussier and told her he intended to come to her apartment. She responded that she would be there.
Lussier spoke with her sister at approximately 3 p.m. that day.
When her sister attempted to reach her again around 6 p.m., there was no answer.
Investigators identified those communications as important pieces of the timeline leading up to her death.
Autopsy identified a fatal head injury
A medical examination revealed injuries that investigators believed were consistent with a violent assault.
The medical examiner determined that Lussier died from an acute subdural hematoma on the left side of her skull.
A subdural hematoma occurs when blood collects between the brain and its outer protective covering. It can develop after a serious blow to the head and may create dangerous pressure on the brain.
Depending on the severity, symptoms can include confusion, severe headaches, loss of consciousness and other neurological problems. Severe cases can become fatal without prompt medical treatment.
The autopsy also documented multiple bruises and injuries, including trauma around Lussier’s right eye.
Although toxicology testing detected fentanyl and methamphetamine in her system, the medical examiner did not identify those substances as the cause of death.
That distinction later became significant because an earlier public statement about the case incorrectly suggested that Lussier had died from a drug overdose.
The autopsy findings instead identified a fatal traumatic brain injury.
Witnesses describe alleged admissions
As investigators reconstructed Lussier’s final days, they interviewed people who had interacted with Foss after her death.
Court records indicate that Foss was staying at a homeless encampment around the time of the incident.
Several witnesses reportedly told investigators that he made disturbing statements about his girlfriend.
One person recalled Foss suggesting that he believed he had killed her.
Other witnesses described similar alleged admissions in which Foss claimed to have beaten his girlfriend to death.
Investigators also interviewed a witness who said Foss discussed the killing and left a cellphone behind.
The witness eventually turned the device over to police.
Authorities determined that the phone belonged to Lussier.
Another witness reported encountering Foss on February 24, two days after Lussier’s body was discovered.
According to the complaint, Foss was behaving unusually and allegedly claimed he was wanted for murder after assaulting his girlfriend.
Prosecutors have cited these accounts as part of the evidence supporting the homicide charge.
However, the statements remain allegations presented in court documents. Their credibility and significance will be subject to examination during the criminal proceedings.
Separate police encounter ended in a standoff
Several months after Lussier’s death, Foss became involved in another serious encounter with law enforcement.
On July 30, 2024, police reportedly spotted him driving a vehicle that had been stolen.
Investigators allege that Foss attempted to escape and struck a police squad car before fleeing on foot.
He then reportedly entered a nearby residence without permission and threatened the occupants with a knife.
The residents managed to escape without injuries.
Police said Foss barricaded himself inside the home, leading to a standoff.
According to court records, officers eventually found him hiding in a closet after he had injured his own throat with the knife.
Investigators also reported finding the word “sorry” written in blood on the closet door.
The encounter resulted in separate criminal proceedings.
Foss is currently serving a 105-month prison sentence in Minnesota on a burglary conviction unrelated to the newly filed homicide charge.
His incarceration does not resolve the allegations surrounding Lussier’s death, which are now being addressed in a separate criminal case.
Nine emergency calls raise questions about police response
One of the most troubling aspects of Lussier’s case is the number of times she reportedly sought assistance before her death.
Records indicate that she made at least nine calls to 911 concerning Foss.
The repeated calls have become central to questions about whether authorities had sufficient opportunities to intervene before the situation turned fatal.
Following Lussier’s death, an audit examined how the Minneapolis Police Department handled the case.
The review identified staffing shortages as a significant obstacle affecting police operations.
According to the findings, limited staffing contributed to slower response times and made it more difficult for officers to carry out arrests promptly.
Those findings provide context for the department’s operational challenges, but they do not establish that any particular response would have prevented Lussier’s death.
The case nevertheless illustrates the importance of evaluating repeated domestic violence complaints as part of a broader pattern rather than treating each incident in isolation.
A series of calls involving the same individuals may reveal escalating concerns that are not always apparent from a single emergency response.
For victims who fear retaliation or continued harassment, the period following police intervention can also be especially complicated.
Leaving a relationship, requesting that someone stay away or contacting authorities does not necessarily end unwanted contact.
Officials acknowledge incorrect statement about her death
The handling of Lussier’s case faced additional criticism after former Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O’Hara reportedly described her death as a drug overdose.
That characterization conflicted with the medical examiner’s findings.
Although drugs were detected during the autopsy, the documented cause of death was the acute subdural hematoma.
Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty later addressed the discrepancy during a press conference.
She acknowledged that the earlier statement was inaccurate.
“I think good leaders acknowledge when something went wrong, and they dedicate themselves to making sure things improve in the future,” Moriarty said.
The correction matters because accurately identifying the cause of death is essential in a criminal investigation.
A fatal injury and a drug-related death can require very different investigative approaches, even when toxicology results identify substances in a person’s system.
The circumstances surrounding Lussier’s death also demonstrate why medical examiner findings, witness statements and physical evidence must be evaluated together before investigators reach conclusions.
Why prosecutors filed charges more than two years later
The Hennepin County Attorney’s Office announced the charges against Foss in October 2026, more than two years after Lussier was found dead.
Prosecutors explained that the delay followed an extensive examination of the evidence and the legal requirements necessary to support criminal charges.
The case had been submitted for prosecutorial review in June 2024.
According to the attorney’s office, the decision required detailed legal analysis to determine whether the available evidence could satisfy the burden of proof beyond a reasonable doubt.
That standard is important in homicide prosecutions because prosecutors must establish the elements of the charged offense through admissible evidence.
A criminal charge represents a formal accusation, not a finding of guilt.
In Minnesota, second-degree murder can involve different legal theories depending on the circumstances and the specific statutory provision charged.
The precise allegations in the criminal complaint will determine what prosecutors must prove.
Foss also faces a stalking charge, reflecting allegations involving his conduct toward Lussier before her death.
He is expected to appear in court on the new charges while remaining in state custody on his separate conviction.
A case highlighting the dangers of repeated domestic violence
Lussier’s death has become more than a homicide investigation.
It has also prompted renewed discussion about how emergency calls involving domestic violence are documented, evaluated and handled.
Domestic violence does not always begin with a single severe incident. It can involve repeated unwanted contact, threats, intimidation, controlling behavior and physical assaults.
When those behaviors continue over time, they can create serious risks for the person attempting to establish boundaries or end contact.
Experts in domestic violence prevention emphasize that effective responses often require coordination among police, prosecutors, victim advocates and community support organizations.
Safety planning, access to emergency shelter, documentation of threatening behavior and timely enforcement of protective measures can all be important components of a broader response.
However, no single intervention can guarantee safety, and responsibility for violence remains with the person who commits it.
In Lussier’s case, the reported history of emergency calls has placed particular attention on whether warning signs were recognized and whether available resources were sufficient to address them.
Family left waiting for answers
For more than two years, Allison Lussier’s death remained without a filed homicide charge.
The announcement against Foss marks a significant development in the case, but it does not bring the legal process to an end.
Prosecutors must still present their evidence, and Foss is presumed innocent of the new charges unless proven guilty.
The investigation has already brought several troubling details into public view: repeated emergency calls, an earlier police intervention, messages sent shortly before Lussier disappeared from contact, a fatal head injury and witnesses who described alleged admissions.
It has also exposed concerns about staffing, delayed responses and the accuracy of information initially shared about her death.
The unanswered questions now extend beyond what happened inside Lussier’s apartment in February 2024.
They include whether repeated warnings received adequate attention and what changes could help authorities respond more effectively when someone reports an ongoing threat.
As the criminal case moves forward, Lussier’s death remains a reminder of the potentially devastating consequences of domestic violence and the importance of taking repeated requests for help seriously.
