After discovering his girlfriend’s body in a storage container, a guy was charged with murder.
According to authorities in St. Paul, Minnesota, Joseph Jorgenson, 40, was detained on suspicion of killing mother-of-three Manijeh “Mani” Starren, 33, who was reported missing by her family on May 1.On April 21, at around 6 p.m., a CCTV camera in Starren’s building captured her attempting to flee before Jorgensen grabbed her and dragged her back inside.
Officers said this was the last time she was seen alive.
“Jorgenson is the only one that comes out of that unit, and Mani is never seen again,” St Paul sergeant Mike Ernster said on Friday (June 30).
On May 16, neighbors at Jorgenson’s residence reported a “foul smell” that reminded them of a dead animal.
The building manager and a maintenance worker attempted to enter the apartment to investigate the smell, but Jorgenson was “verbally hostile” and would not let them in the bedroom where it appeared the pong was coming from, according to an affidavit.
Shortly after, Jorgenson was seen leaving his house with many huge black duffle bags. The manager and maintenance worker both commented to each other that Jorgenson appeared to be “carrying a dead body”.
Jorgenson is alleged to have locked himself inside the house and attempted to cause a fire while police were executing a search warrant at the scene.
When they entered, they discovered a “pool of blood” in a cabinet where he was located.
“He did not report her missing to police. Instead, he just went on with his life without saying anything to anyone.”
On May 25, officers searched the flat and found the TV screen cracked with large blood stains on the living room floor, in the kitchen and on the sofa.
Investigators determined the blood was Starren’s and that someone had attempted to clean up the stains.
The scent of “decomposing flesh” assaulted them when they forced the unit open, and then they discovered Starren’s body in a sizable cooler.
Then, her arms and legs were discovered in a blue duffle bag, and her head was discovered in a smaller cooler.
Her death has been classified as a homicide, however the exact cause of death is yet unknown.
Starren’s relatives claimed she was “afraid” of her lover before she passed away, adding that during their last conversations with her, she appeared frightened and paranoid.
While neighbors remembered seeing her with a black eye and red bruises on her neck, she also reportedly claimed Jorgenson had once put a rope around her throat.
Prior to her disappearance, a neighbor had suggested calling the police, but Starren refused, saying: “It will only make things worse.”
According to her close ones, the departed mother also battled drug addiction and mental health issues.
Jorgenson is awaiting trial on August 21 and is being jailed on a $5 million (£3.9 million) bond.
A potential relationship between Jorgenson and Fanta Xayavong, another missing woman, is currently being looked into by police.The 33-year-old was last seen with Jorgenson in July 2021 before going missing.
“She does have a connection with Jorgenson, and, to put it bluntly, we’re concerned for her safety also,” Ernster said.
