North Dakota woman poisoned boyfriend for ‘financial’ reasons: police

A North Dakota woman has been arrested for fatally poisoning her boyfriend in what police said was an alleged bid to line her pockets.

Ina Kenoyer was arrested on Monday in connection with the death of Steven Riley Jr., according to a press release from the Minot Police Department. He became suddenly ill last month and was rushed to Trinity Hospital before he was transferred to a facility in Bismark, where died on Sept. 5, police said.

An autopsy revealed Edward’s cause of death to be poisoning, but no other information, including the type of deadly substance used to carry out the deed, was provided. Riley was 57.

Amid their investigation, authorities identified his 47-year-old girlfriend as the primary suspect.

“Police believe that Riley’s girlfriend, 47-year-old, Ina Thea Kenoyer, Minot, had financial motives to murder Riley,” said the Minot Police Department.

Authorities did not offer further details regarding the reason Kenoyer allegedly killed her boyfriend nor what evidence resulted in her arrest earlier this week.

“This case was extremely complex,” Investigations Commander Capt. Dale Plessas said in a statement. “Thank you to everyone who provided us with information that helped our investigators piece this together.”

Kenoyer was being held Tuesday at the Ward County Jail on a felony murder charge. An investigation into the matter is ongoing.