Rochester Police looking for Preston Higgs, suspect in Liz Quackenbush murder

Matthew Stolle, Post-Bulletin, Rochester, Minn.
·2 min read

Mar. 23—Preston Higgs, the suspect in the stabbing death of former ALC teacher Liz Quackenbush, was likely in southeastern Iowa and could be en route to Rochester, where he once lived.

The Rochester Police Department "is aware of Preston Higgs and is on the lookout for him," said spokesperson Amanda Grayson.

If anyone has any information on his whereabouts, they are asked to call 507-328-6800 and ask for Investigator Jake Matz.

Quackenbush was fatally stabbed in her New Orleans home three weeks ago. Higgs, who lived with her at the time, quickly became the primary suspect. A welder, Higgs did not show up for work on March 3, the day that Quackenbush, 39, who was a chemistry teacher at New Harmony High School, was found dead in her home.

Before moving to New Orleans, Quackenbush was a teacher at Rochester's Alternative Learning Center for five years. Quackenbush and Higgs dated in Rochester before she moved to New Orleans in 2019. A year later, Higgs followed.

A week after her death, deputies in Iowa's Van Buren County assisted the U.S. Marshalls in searching for Higgs in the Farmington area in the southern part of the county.

Higgs' mobile phone was found in the back of a pickup in Farmington, according to nola.com. The vehicle's owner, who makes deliveries throughout the region, had no idea how or when the phone landed in his truck bed.

"We are certain that Higgs was in the area earlier this week," the Van Buren County Sheriff's Office said in a Facebook post. "An item of property belonging to Higgs was recovered this morning in Farmington. At this time, Higgs is not believed to be in SE Iowa."

Higgs was believed to be driving a silver Chevrolet Impala with a Louisiana license plate. He may still be driving the car, but it might now have a Minnesota license plate.