ROCHESTER — The Southern Minnesota Regional Medical Examiner's Office has identified the man found Monday in a retention pond west of Rochester as Wade Gordon Jr.
Body found behind City Hall in southeast Minnesota identified as missing man
Olmsted County sheriff's deputies recovered the body of an adult male in a pond behind Byron City Hall.
July 19, 2023 at 12:10AM
Local law enforcement considered Gordon a missing person until this week. Gordon, 39, was last seen leaving his job at Ornua Ingredients in Byron about 2 a.m. July 7. His SUV was left outside his work.
Gordon, of Rochester, was reported missing July 8. At the time, relatives insisted it wasn't normal for him to disappear.
Olmsted County sheriff's deputies discovered Gordon's body around noon in the pond behind Byron City Hall, about 2½ miles from Ornua, which formulates cheese for food manufacturers. A concerned resident had reported hearing suspicious noises several nights ago. Deputies, the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension and officials from the Regional Medical Examiner's Office responded to the scene while residents were warned to stay away until about 6 p.m.
The Medical Examiner's Office will perform an autopsy. Capt. Tim Parkin with the Olmsted County Sheriff's Office said deputies plan to release more information Wednesday morning.
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