Authorities Connect Man To The Killings Of Two Women After Discovering Second Body Inside Storage Unit
Two years after being missing, the remains of a woman were discovered in a storage unit last week.
33-year-old Fanta Xayavong’s death was said to be a homicide and connected to Joseph Jorgenson. Authorities in St. Paul, Minnesota, say that the two had been in a relationship previously.
Additionally, for many months, Jorgenson has been a suspect in the disappearance of another woman, Manijeh “Mani” Starren, 33. Last week, he was charged with second-degree murder in relation to her death.
In June, Starren’s dismembered body was discovered in a storage unit in Woodbury, MN. On Thursday, Xayavong’s body was discovered in a storage unit in Coon Rapids, MN.
Jorgenson is only a person of interest in Xayavong’s death and hasn’t been officially charged. Authorities are now working to see if he could possibly be linked to any other disappearances.
In May, officials received information that Xayavong had been in an abusive relationship with Jorgenson prior to going missing. Authorities say that Starren and Jorgenson had been in a relationship prior to her death, as well.
It hasn’t been determined when or where Xayavong was killed. On Friday, detectives searched a residence that Jorgenson had stayed in until last September.
On May 1, Starren was reported missing. Detectives discovered her body after Jorgenson held himself up in his apartment and set it on fire as police attempted to do a search on June 26.
After tussling with officers, Jorgenson was apprehended. A tracking of his activities through his cellphone led police to look through a storage unit where Starren’s body was located.
Reports indicate that police believe that Jorgenson cut up Starren’s body and transported the remains in duffel bags and a small piece of luggage.
A recording from the apartment building depicted Starren fleeing from Jorgenson on April 21 prior to him catching her and forcing her back inside. She had never been seen again after that.
