MINNEAPOLIS — Authorities have identified the woman found dead in a wooded area near East River Flats Park as Karen Lynn Sognesand, 56, of Maple Grove.
Minneapolis Park Police and the Minneapolis Police Department responded shortly after 6 p.m. Saturday to a report of a body near East River Parkway and Oak Street Southeast, close to the Mississippi River and the University of Minnesota’s East Bank campus.
Responding officers located Sognesand in the wooded area and pronounced her dead at the scene. Information released through the Hennepin County Medical Examiner indicates that she died sometime Saturday.
Authorities have not publicly released the cause or manner of Sognesand’s death. Minneapolis police continue to investigate the circumstances surrounding the discovery.
Sognesand was the first of three people found dead in public areas around Minneapolis during a three-day period.
Shortly after 11:30 a.m. Sunday, authorities responded to the eastern shoreline of Bde Maka Ska near West 36th Street and East Bde Maka Ska Parkway. Officers located severely decomposed human remains near the water. The Hennepin County Sheriff’s Office is investigating that discovery.
On Monday afternoon, University of Minnesota police responded after a man’s body was found near Sixth Avenue Southeast and Main Street Southeast, close to the Stone Arch Bridge. Authorities have released limited information about that individual or the circumstances surrounding his death.
Minneapolis police said there is currently no known connection between Sognesand’s death and the other recent discoveries. Investigators have not announced any evidence indicating that the deaths resulted from the same incident or are connected to criminal activity.
Hennepin County Sheriff Dawanna Witt previously urged the public not to jump to conclusions while investigators and medical examiners work to determine the causes of the deaths.
Sognesand’s family remembered her in a published obituary as a loving and caring daughter, sister, aunt and friend. The family said it does not yet have all the answers surrounding her death and asked for prayers and patience.
Authorities have not announced whether they are seeking any particular witnesses or persons of interest in connection with Sognesand’s death.
Anyone with information that may assist investigators should contact the Minneapolis Police Department. Members of the public should avoid sharing unverified claims while authorities continue examining the circumstances of the separate cases.
This remains a developing investigation. The National Correspondent Network will update this report when Minneapolis police or the Hennepin County Medical Examiner releases additional verified information.