Missing Minneapolis man's body found in Anoka pond

By KATIE HUMPHREY, Star Tribune

Last update: April 26, 2009 - 8:01 AM

Jelani Brinson, the 24-year-old man who disappeared after leaving a friend's Anoka home April 17, was found dead Saturday in a golf course pond.

An employee of the Greenhaven Golf Course in Anoka called the Anoka County Sheriff's Office to report seeing the body floating in the pond shortly after 1 p.m.

The sheriff's office confirmed the body was Brinson's but did not say whether there were signs of foul play.

Brinson, of north Minneapolis, had been missing since he walked away from a friend's house on Kennedy Street in Anoka.

People searching for him found his shoes in two different places along a nearby railroad track.

Dogs traced his scent west along the tracks for about 1.5 miles to an area behind the Outpost Bar in Ramsey, but the trail ended there.

Ryan Wagner, who works in the pro shop at Greenhaven, said there were multiple squad cars at the golf course, located north of Hwy. 10, when he arrived for work Saturday afternoon.

He said the pond is between the 10th and 11th holes. Nine holes of the 18-hole course in Anoka were closed for most of the afternoon, Wagner said.

Recent North Metro stories

New Ramsey theatre takes an all-inclusive approach on, off the stage - April 26, 2009

New Ramsey theatre takes an all-inclusive approach on, off the stage - Community theater in Anoka is producing a contemporary version of Charles Dickens' "A Christmas Carol" with newbies and veterans alike. More