Three bodies surfaced at separate Minneapolis locations over 72 hours, spanning East River Flats park, Bde Maka Ska Lake, and Stone Arch Bridge, as police work to determine whether the deaths share a cause. Authorities have not confirmed the cases are connected to criminal activity.
The timeline is documented on two of the three finds. Saturday at 6 p.m.: a body in a wooded area near East River Flats park, along the Mississippi River. Sunday at 11:30 a.m.: a second body at the shoreline of Bde Maka Ska Lake. Fox9 reported that by Monday, the University of Minnesota Police Department had located a third body near the Stone Arch Bridge. The department has not released the circumstances surrounding that death.
| Discovery | Date and time | Location | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| First | Saturday, 6 p.m. | Wooded area, East River Flats park, Mississippi River | Identified: Karen Lynn Sognesand, 56, Maple Grove |
| Second | Sunday, 11:30 a.m. | Bde Maka Ska Lake shoreline | Severe decomposition; unidentified |
| Third | Monday, time unreported | Near Stone Arch Bridge | Circumstances not released |
The Minnesota Star Tribune identified the Saturday victim as Karen Lynn Sognesand, 56, of Maple Grove. An obituary reads: "The most loving, caring, daughter, sister and friend has left us too soon. Her struggle with mental health and the loss of her dad was just too much." Minneapolis police have not characterized the circumstances of her death.
The second body carries a forensic wrinkle. The Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board stated that the remains were in "a severe state of decomposition," which means the time of death preceded Sunday's discovery by some period. The person has not been identified.
The University of Minnesota Police Department has released no identification and no manner of death in the Stone Arch Bridge case. Minneapolis police have not established that any of the three deaths involve criminal conduct.