ST. CLOUD – Officials are investigating the discovery of human remains found Wednesday in a wooded area just east of St. Cloud.
The Benton County Sheriff’s Office was called to the property in the 1500 block of E. St. Germain Street just after 9 p.m. Wednesday, according to a Friday news release from Benton County Sheriff Troy Heck.
St. Cloud police were initially called to the scene but the remains were determined to be just outside city limits in Minden Township, Heck said.
The wooded area is regularly used as an encampment by homeless people, Heck said. Evidence indicates the remains had been at the location for a “substantial period of time” before being discovered.
Using a search warrant, deputies collected the remains and any evidence possibly connected to them with the help of the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension. The Midwest Medical Examiner’s Office will determine the person’s identity and cause and manner of death.
