Karen Lynn Sognesand Obituary, MINNEAPOLIS, Minn. — Karen Lynn Sognesand, 56, of Maple Grove, Minnesota, was identified dead in a wooded area near East River Flats Park over the weekend, as agencies continue investigating the circumstances surrounding her passing.
The Hennepin County Medical Examiner’s Office identified Sognesand following the discovery of her body Saturday evening. Law enforcement were called to a wooded area near East River Parkway and Oak Street after receiving a report of a body in the area.
Investigators responded to the scene and discovered Sognesand deceased. Her death has prompted an ongoing inquiry, but as of Wednesday, authorities had not publicly released a suspected cause or manner of death.
Sognesand’s death was the first of three separate incidents involving bodies discovered in public areas of Minneapolis over a three-day period. On Sunday morning, Hennepin County Sheriff’s Office deputies responded to Bde Maka Ska after a body was identified along the shoreline near 36th Street West and East Bde Maka Ska Parkway.
Water patrol deputies located what authorities described as decomposed remains at the shoreline. A section of the area was secured while investigators worked at the scene. The identity of the person determined there had not been publicly provided in the information available.
A third body was discovered Monday afternoon near Sixth Street and Main Street Southeast, close to the Stone Arch Bridge. University of Minnesota police officers responded to the report and stated the person discovered was an adult, although the individual’s identity had not been released.
Despite the three discoveries occurring within a short period, law enforcement have not indicated that the incidents are connected. Investigators have not publicly identified a common cause or person of interest in connection with the three cases, and each incident remains under separate investigation.
Authorities continue to gather evidence and work with medical examiners to determine the circumstances surrounding Sognesand’s loss. Further information may be released as the investigations and examinations are completed. Sognesand’s memory remains at the center of the ongoing effort to establish the circumstances of her death, and condolences go to those affected by her passing.
