Vance Bolter, described by his colleagues, had a rather unsettling job at a funeral home—extracting eyeballs from deceased individuals.
The 57-year-old, who is married and a father, faces serious charges: allegedly murdering Democratic state Senator Melissa Hortman and her husband, Mark, while injuring another politician and his spouse early Saturday morning. A friend and roommate, David Carlson, mentioned that Bolter’s gruesome work was part of an organ donation program.
Carlson reminisced about stopping by Bolter’s room at around 7 PM on Friday, just hours before the alleged violent episode. “I knocked on his door and asked, ‘Hey Vance, are you there?'” he recalled.
Bolter responded, “Yeah, I’m in bed, trying to get some rest for work,” while renting a room in a North Minneapolis house.
It wasn’t unusual for him to go to bed early; he often claimed he needed to be sharp for his work.
Reportedly, Bolter was on duty for 12 hours the night of the alleged attack at Hortman’s home in Brooklyn Park, as well as a separate incident against senator John Hoffman and his wife in nearby Champlin.
He previously took a funeral science course at Iowa Community College and was recognized as a student at Des Moines Regional Community College during 2023 and 2024.
However, it remains unclear if Bolter participated in these courses online or in person, with a representative indicating federal privacy regulations restrict such details.
Furthermore, Bolter had not been a student at DMACC since 2024. His former employer mentioned that he had worked at a funeral home in Savage, a suburb of Minneapolis, until he left voluntarily in February.
In a statement following Bolter’s arrest, a representative for the funeral home expressed condolences to the families involved: “This is heartbreaking news for all.” They noted that Bolter had been with them from August 28, 2023, until February 20, 2025.
