Stillwater homes and businesses are adorned with red ribbons to remember the life of George Musser, whose body was found Christmas Day after a two-day search.
Medical examiner IDs body as Stillwater man George Musser, 20
Preliminary evidence suggests he died from exposure after leaving Stillwater bar, Washington County Sheriff's Office says.
December 29, 2022 at 1:18AM
The Ramsey County Medical Examiner's office has formally identified the body found in Baytown Township about 7 p.m. Sunday as the 20-year-old Musser's, according to a statement issued Wednesday by the Washington County Sheriff's Office.
Preliminary evidence suggests Musser died from exposure, said the statement. He was wearing a flannel shirt, jeans, stocking cap and shoes. Toxicology tests will take up to 60 days to complete, it added.
Musser was last seen alive leaving Brian's Bar & Grill, a downtown Stillwater bar, at about 2:10 a.m. Saturday. Temperatures early Saturday morning in Stillwater were about 5 degrees below zero, according to Weather Underground.
His family noticed him missing, triggering a two-day search by friends and volunteers in freezing weather across the city. Musser's parents live nearly a mile from Brian's, a 20-minute walk.
Musser's body was found in the 5400 block of Osgood Avenue N., about 2 and a half miles from where he started walking.
Video footage from traffic and surveillance cameras captured images of a person matching Musser's appearance along the route he took from downtown Stillwater to where he was found, according to the Sheriff's Office. His godmother told the Star Tribune that he appeared disoriented and lost.
Stillwater Police Chief Brian Mueller has said there was no indication of foul play.
Friends and supporters of Musser's family are behind the display of red ribbons in his memory, with some tied to tree branches or park benches downtown and others appearing on doorways throughout Stillwater.
According to a post on the "Remember George Musser" Facebook page, the family chose the color red because it represents many things for George, including his Stillwater Area High School team colors; his college, the University of Wisconsin-River Falls; and the Christmas season.
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