Anoka County authorities still don't know what caused the death of a Minneapolis man whose body was found floating in a golf course pond in Anoka in April.
The county medical examiner's office recently said its examination of the cause of Jelani Brinson's death was inconclusive, said county Sheriff's Lt. Paul Sommer.
Brinson's body was found after he had been missing for a week. Brinson, 24, was last seen April 17 as he abruptly left a friend's house not far from the pond, police said. His shoes and hat were found near railroad tracks in the area.
Police found no signs of injury or foul play on the body, and the autopsy ruled out anatomical causes such as drowning, a heart attack or a brain aneurism, Sommer said.
"With him, there's nothing. No injuries, nothing to show he suffocated," Sommer said. "The coroner couldn't say why he died. That's what makes this investigation so difficult. There's no wounds. He went missing and he's dead."
Sommer said there was no sign of a fight where Brinson's tennis shoes and hat were found. His friends have cooperated, but said they didn't know why he left the Anoka home that day. Brinson, who had a 1-year-old daughter, worked for Sprint in Edina.
The autopsy offered no leads, but the investigation continues, Sommer said. He asked anyone with information about the case to call 911 or the sheriff's office, 763-427-1212.
"It is particularly frustrating because normally in a situation like this we expect certain things to be apparent," Sommer said. "If he's found in a pond, you'd think he drowned. He did not. Or if he was dumped there, you'd think you'd find an anatomical cause of death or a drug overdose. That was not there either. We have very little to go on."
