Police found no obvious signs of injury or foul play on the body of a north Minneapolis man whose body was found in a shallow pond Saturday on an Anoka golf course.
Jelani Brinson, 24, had been missing a week since he abruptly left a friend's house in Anoka on April 17. Because of his unexplained disappearance, police have said they were considering possible foul play.
The body was found in a 2-to-3-foot deep pond at the Greenhaven Golf Course, said Lt. Paul Sommer of the Anoka County Sheriff's Office. He said there were no reports of Brinson being under the influence when he left his friends. Because of the suspicious circumstances, the county medical examiner is doing a thorough autopsy, including a toxicology test, which could take weeks, Sommer said.
"There's a lot up in the air," he added.
An employee of the golf course called police about 1 p.m. Saturday after seeing the body floating in a pond. The pond is not far from the home on Kennedy Street where Brinson was last seen and railroad tracks near where his tennis shoes and hat were found.
Family and friends had searched twice along railroad tracks in Anoka and nearby Ramsey for Brinson. He had a 9-month-old daughter, Zion, and worked for Sprint in Edina.
His mother, Alyce Hamilton, said the family is struggling with their loss.
"He had a wonderful personality," she said Monday. Hamilton said she'll miss his laughter, gentle nature and his "really crazy grin." She said her son was active in his Christian faith and liked playing soccer.
