Police found a third body in Minneapolis in three days near the Stone Arch Bridge on Monday afternoon.
The University of Minnesota Police Department located the remains near 6th Street and Main Street Southeast around 1 p.m., according to FOX9. Authorities have not disclosed the circumstances surrounding this latest death or the identity of the deceased.
The grim discovery marked the third body found across Minneapolis between Saturday and Monday, spanning three separate locations along the city’s waterways. The clustering of deaths in public park areas over a single weekend has drawn intense scrutiny from residents and local media, though police have not indicated whether the cases are connected.
The first body was found Saturday at 6 p.m. In a wooded area near East River Flats Park along the Mississippi River. Minneapolis Park Police and the Minneapolis Police Department responded to the report, and the individual was pronounced dead at the scene. The Hennepin County Medical Center was slated to conduct an examination to determine the cause.
Police later identified the woman found Saturday evening as Karen Lynn Sognesand, 56, from Maple Grove, The Minnesota Star Tribune reported. An obituary for Sognesand offered a glimpse into her struggles, stating, “The most loving, caring, daughter, sister and friend has left us too soon.” The tribute continued, “Her struggle with mental health and the loss of her dad was just too much.”
The second body was discovered Sunday at 11:30 a.m. Near the shoreline of Bde Maka Ska Lake. “The body was found in a severe state of decomposition, according to a statement from the Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board,” the Star Tribune reported. The advanced state of decay suggested the remains may have been present for an extended period before discovery.
It remains unclear whether the three discovered bodies are linked to a crime, or if the timing of their discoveries over three consecutive days represents coincidence or something more sinister. The Minneapolis Park Police are handling the investigation into the Saturday death, while the University of Minnesota Police Department responded to Monday’s discovery near the Stone Arch Bridge.
The deaths have compounded an already tense atmosphere in Minneapolis, where federal immigration enforcement operations in recent months have resulted in fatal shootings of U.S. Citizens. Those incidents, separate from the string of body discoveries, have sparked sustained protests and congressional scrutiny of Department of Homeland Security tactics.
In the viral moment that preceded this latest news cycle, two U.S. Citizens were fatally shot by federal agents during immigration enforcement operations in Minneapolis. On January 7, ICE agents shot and killed Renee Good, 37. On January 24, Customs and Border Protection officers fatally shot Alex Pretti, 37, during another operation. Graphic video of Pretti’s killing showed agents holding him down, one punching him, before shots were fired. The deaths became rallying points for nationwide “No Kings” protests, with organizers planning their largest demonstrations yet for March 28.
Authorities have asked anyone with information about the recent body discoveries to contact Minneapolis police or CrimeStoppers.