A missing 33-year-old woman's body has been found in a Coon Rapids storage unit, and St. Paul police said Friday the discovery is connected to a man charged last week in a separate murder.
Fanta Xayavong's remains were found Thursday, a week after Joseph Jorgenson was charged with the murder of Manijeh "Mani" Starren, 33, whose dismembered body was found in a different storage unit in Woodbury. Starren and Jorgenson had previously been in a relationship.
Family and friends last heard from Xayavong in July 2021. On May 25 of this year, a caller reported her disappearance to the human trafficking tip line of the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension (BCA), police Sgt. Mike Ernster said at a Friday news conference.
He said the caller was worried Xayavong was being trafficked and said she was in an abusive relationship with Jorgenson before her disappearance. Her last known residence was in Lakeville.
Investigators connected Jorgenson to a storage unit in the 9100 block of University Avenue NW. in Coon Rapids, where they found a person's remains Thursday. On Friday, they were confirmed to be Xayavong.
"It's nothing short of horrific," Ernster said.
Her death has been ruled a homicide. Jorgenson is considered a "person of interest" but is not considered a suspect at this point. No charges have been filed.
On Friday, investigators searched a home in Shoreview where Jorgenson was living until September 2022, but Ernster did not disclose findings.