Missing Minnesota mom's boyfriend charged after grisly find in storage unit

2023-07-10 08:24:25 Written by Alex

A missing Minnesota woman’s remains were found in a storage unit, and her boyfriend has been accused of killing and dismembering her.

Joseph Steven Jorgenson faces one count of second-degree murder in connection to the death of his girlfriend, Manijeh "Mani" Starren, KARE, KSTP and the Pioneer Press report.

Starren, 34, was reported missing in June after her family said they had not spoken with the St. Paul resident since April 21.

According to police, security video taken near Starren’s home on April 21 showed her running from her apartment as Jorgenson, 40, chased after her before police say he grabbed her and pushed her back inside, KARE 11 reports.

Police say there is no footage showing Starren leaving her apartment again.

Jorgenson, however, was allegedly captured in surveillance footage coming and going from Starren’s home frequently in the week following the April 21 incident, per KARE 11. According to prosecutors, he entered her apartment 28 different times during this period.

Footage obtained by KARE 11 allegedly shows the Maplewood man carrying duffle bags and a suitcase from the apartment and placing them in a pickup truck belonging to his roommate on April 28. After loading the luggage into the truck, Jorgenson allegedly got in the passenger seat and the vehicle drove away.

Investigators also allegedly have evidence that Jorgenson used Starren’s bank card to buy a large amount of cleaning supplies — including a cleaning bucket, plastic wrap, garbage bags, latex gloves and disinfectant wipes — from a dollar store, according to KSTP.

Data from Jorgenson's Google account allegedly revealed searches for information related to clearing cookies from phones, missing person reports and “lime for soil,” KARE 11 reported. According to court documents obtained by the outlet, lime can be used to accelerate and reduce the smell of decomposition.

Joseph Morgenson shown with bruises on his face next to two women.

Joseph Jorgenson, right, is accused of murdering Minnesota mother of three Manijeh "Mani" Starren, left,

and is a suspect in the disappearance of Fanta Xayavong, center, who vanished in July 2021, according to police. (Facebook/ St. Paul Police Department)

When police attempted to serve search warrants for Jorgenson's apartment on June 26, police say Maplewood man barricaded himself inside his bedroom, started a fire and charged out while threatening to shoot officers, KARE 11 reported. He also attempted to disarm one officer, grabbing for his AR-15 automatic rifle, police say.

The SWAT team was ultimately able to detain Jorgenson and arrest him, according to the outlet. Now, in addition to second-degree murder, Jorgenson also faces charges of arson and trying to disarm a peace officer.

It's not immediately clear if he has entered pleas or retained an attorney.

After obtaining a search warrant for a storage unit rented in Woodbury, Minn., in Jorgenson’s roommate’s name, investigators entered the unit using a key found in his apartment, per KARE 11.

In the unit, police found two coolers and a duffle bag, both of which allegedly contained human remains that have now been confirmed to be Starren’s, the outlet reported.

In a press conference, Sergeant Mike Ernster, a public information officer for the St. Paul Police Department, said, “We also cannot fathom the pain [Starren’s] family is feeling at this point, but we do hope that this investigation's result will bring them some level of solace.”