Iron Range man found dead in freezer was trying to hide from the law, police say

DULUTH — An Iron Range man who was found dead in the freezer of an unoccupied house in Biwabik, Minn., climbed in himself, according to the Gilbert Police Department.

Investigators determined that Brandon Lee Buschman, 34, was last seen in the home "fleeing from the upstairs area of the house due to a possible police presence near the residence," according to a news release from the police department Friday. Court documents show he had an active felony warrant for his arrest for a probation violation tied to a conviction for fifth-degree possession of a controlled substance in 2021.

Buschman was found June 26 in an older-model chest freezer, which is not possible to open from the inside. The freezer was not on at the time — utilities had been disconnected and no one had been living at the house since February.

Police said they found a metal rod inside the freezer that had been used to keep it from locking, but it didn't work.

The Midwest Medical Examiners Office found no evidence of trauma or injury. The final autopsy and toxicology report is not yet available. Investigators are still trying to determine a timeline for the day when Buschman was last seen alive.