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March 1, 2009

Sister seeks answers in brother’s murder

Death certificate: Chaska man died from ‘homicide violence’

By Dan Nienaber

It’s been about a month since Monica Schanus visited Green Isle, stopping at businesses and asking to put up posters offering a $10,000 reward for information about her brother’s murder.

She hasn’t heard about any major tips coming in and she’s worried people are forgetting about 42-year-old Daniel Juarez, a successful businessman who moved from Chicago to Chaska with his sister about 16 years ago. He was a busy man and Schanus is perplexed by his death.

“He didn’t have any enemies, so we don’t know why this happened,” Schanus said. “I saw my brother a few days before he died. He was very busy with his new newspaper business. He was very excited, talking about how things were going.”

Investigators are still saying little about how Juarez died and what might have happened before his body was found Dec. 6 in his 2003 black Trailblazer. The vehicle was burning when Sibley County deputies and firefighters responded to a wooded area 11⁄2 mile west of Highway 5 on Sibley County Road 180.

The reward poster — which includes a picture of Juarez, a description of his vehicle and the fact that he owned DJ Satellite Service and the El Heraldo newspaper in Chaska — is the last new information released by the Sheriff’s Department.

That was on Jan. 21. Sheriff Bruce Ponath said last week there is nothing new to report, including the cause of Juarez’s death.

A final death certificate filed recently says Juarez died as a result of “homicide violence.” A further description by Dr. Janice Amatuzio, an Anoka County coroner who completed a forensic autopsy, said Juarez was injured by another person. It also says he died within minutes.

Juarez wasn’t always a business owner, Schanus said. His first job in Minnesota was working in a Chaska food production plant that is now owned by Pillsbury, but wasn’t at that time.

He was born in Mexico and became a citizen in Chicago, where he also met his wife, Rosalba, before moving to Chaska. The couple had four children, two daughters and two sons, ranging in age from 7 to 14.

Schanus said the marriage had become rocky recently and her brother was considering a divorce. Court records show that an order for protection had been issued saying Juarez had to stay away from his family’s house.

In addition to his house in Chaska, Juarez owned a duplex in Chaska, a four-plex in Minneapolis and a house in Mexico, Schanus said.

Investigators told Schanus that Rosalba reported her husband left their house at 12:15 a.m. on Dec. 6, about four hours before he was found in Green Isle, which is about 25 miles to the west. Investigators also received reports that Juarez’s vehicle was seen at his girlfriend’s house in Burnsville, which is about 20 miles in the opposite direction, Schanus said.

Rosalba Juarez said she doesn’t know much about the investigation.

“What I know is what you know,” she said.

Schanus also said her brother had taken out a $1 million insurance policy.

“He went from working for a company to being a businessman,” Schanus said. “In his personal life, he had struggles. But he was a good provider. He took out a $1 million insurance policy because he was concerned about his health. He wanted to make sure his family would be OK.

“I know the police are working very hard. I wish everything could be faster, but I know they’re doing the best they can.”

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