Hikers on a Thanksgiving Day walk found a man's body near Friendly Marsh Park, the Mendota Heights Police Department said.
Police were called to the area of Hwy. 110 and Dodge Lane on Thursday afternoon. The victim has not been positively identified, said Sgt. Tanner Spicer.
The body was taken to the Hennepin County medical examiner's office for identification, Spicer said.
The Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension, Dakota County Sheriff's Office and Mendota Heights Police Department are investigating.
It was not immediately known if the discovery is related to a homicide. Earlier this month, Joseph Michael Hernandez, 35, was reported missing from a local motel by a friend on Nov. 7.
Police had classified the disappearance as a case of a missing person. But subsequently, through online postings, the department said, "We have learned that the missing person is now being called a homicide victim."
Anybody with information is asked to call police at 651-452-1366.
