Remains Found In Isanti County In 2003 Recognized As Missing Man Since 1970 – WCCO

[ad_1]

MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO)-Authorities in Isanti County say the remains found nearly two decades ago have been identified as belonging to a man who has been missing since the 1970s.

The new DNA profiling technology used by a lab in Texas led to a breakthrough in identifying Donald Rindahl’s body, the Isanti County Sheriff’s Office said.

READ MORE: Man Wanted In Moorhead Sex Crime Arrested In Mexico 21 Years Later

The remains were found in August 2003 near Highway 47 and County Road 5 in Bradford Township during an excavation project. Officials at the time believed they belonged to a white man in his 20s, and that they were buried anywhere from three to 28 years.

The corpse had not been identified for years, and in 2019 the sheriff’s office enlisted the help of Barbara Rae-Venter, who helped solve the Golden State Killer case. However, they were unable to produce a viable DNA sample for him to study.

In 2021, Rae-Venter sent the sheriff’s office to a lab in Texas called Othram, which identified the remains of Sherri Ann Jarvis, a Stillwater teen murdered in Texas and the remains were found in 1980. Identified he was with Othram in November 2021.

READ MORE: ‘She’s Smiling at This Building’: The Rink Of Dreams Hockey Barn Attracts Visitors From All

Othram set up a DNA profile in October and Rae-Venter examined it, who found a distant relative who matched the remains. Isanti County Chief Deputy Lisa Lovering found the two siblings, one of whom said their brother, Rindahl, had been missing since 1970. The brother said the FBI was investigating Rindahl “because of some involvement in drugs ”before he disappeared.

(credit: Isanti County Sheriff’s Office)

The siblings provided DNA samples, and the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension positively identified the remains as those of Rindahl.

The sheriff’s office believes Rindahl’s death was a homicide, even though it was officially classified as unspecified. Authorities believe he was buried in the late 1970s or early 1971 when he was 22 years old.

MORE NEWS: Omicron, Labor Shortages Exacerbating Shipping Delays, Deficits

The sheriff’s office also said that “there may be people still alive today who know what happened to Donald in 1970.” Anyone with information about Rindahl’s disappearance or death is asked to contact the sheriff’s office or Crime Stoppers.

[ad_2]