St. Paul police announced on Friday that they have discovered the body of a Minnesota woman who had been missing for two years in a storage unit. They have linked her death to a man who was previously charged after another woman’s dismembered body was found in a different storage unit in a Minneapolis suburb.
Joseph Jorgenson, the suspect, has not yet been charged in the killing of Fanta Xayavong. However, the 40-year-old was recently charged with second-degree murder in the case of Manijeh “Mani” Starren, 33. Xayavong’s body was found on Thursday in a storage unit in Coon Rapids, while Starren’s body was discovered last month in a storage unit in Woodbury.
St. Paul police Sergeant Mike Ernster said Jorgenson is currently a “person of interest” in the death of the 33-year-old Xayavong, as investigators connected him to the Coon Rapids storage unit. The authorities are now trying to determine if Jorgenson may be linked to any other missing individuals. In May, the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension received a tip regarding Xayavong’s abusive relationship with Jorgenson before her disappearance in July 2021. It has also been revealed that Starren and Jorgenson had a prior relationship before her death.
Regarding Xayavong’s murder, the police have not yet established the location or time of the incident, according to Sgt. Ernster.
On Friday, investigators searched a home where Jorgenson used to live until September of the previous year. Starren was reported missing on May 1, and her body was found after Jorgenson barricaded himself in his apartment and initiated a fire when the police attempted to search the premises on June 26. He was subsequently apprehended following a confrontation with the officers. After reviewing Jorgenson’s cellphone activity, the police discovered the storage unit in Woodbury where Starren’s body had been concealed.
Prosecutors believe, based on court documents, that Jorgenson dismembered Starren’s body and transported her remains out of the Maplewood apartment in duffel bags.
Surveillance footage from the apartment building captured Starren attempting to flee from Jorgenson on April 21, only to be caught and pushed back inside. She was not seen leaving the apartment thereafter.
News by Breaking911
