Authorities have identified the remains of two homicide victims found in a fire pit last week near Bemidji.

One person is in jail, and prosecutors are weighing murder charges against him, the Beltrami County Sheriff's Office said Wednesday.

The remains of Adam P. Thorpe, 39, of Maple Grove, and Jason J. McDonough, 41, whose last known address was in Superior, Wis., were located on Feb. 5 at a residence in the 6500 block of Hwy. 89 NW. in Eckles Township, northwest of Bemidji.

The suspect, a 44-year-old man from Bemidji, remains jailed for probation violations stemming from a felony drug conviction in 2010.

Autopsy results, which could reveal how the men were killed, are pending from the Ramsey County Medical Examiner's Office.

Thorpe spun vinyl as a onetime house music DJ at First Avenue, Quest and other Twin Cities clubs dating back to the 1990s.

Jason J. McDonough

Thorpe was "a Minneapolis archetype of house music," according to a tribute posted on the Facebook page of HotDish, which provides DJs for a wide range of events. "He put ego aside to bring people together around the music. He rocked vinyl until the clubs stopped providing decks."

A concerned family member contacted authorities on Feb. 4, reporting that Thorpe had traveled to the Bemidji area from the Twin Cities and that there had been no contact with Thorpe since the previous week.

The caller also said Thorpe was traveling with another person and described a vehicle they were possibly using.

That evening, deputies located the vehicle at the Palace Casino east of Bemidji in Cass County.

Further investigation identified two other people with a connection to the vehicle. Investigators interviewed them, and that led authorities to where the two live, which is the home where the victims' remains were found.

Paul Walsh • 612-673-4482