Missing Minnesota mom’s boyfriend charged after grisly find in storage unit

The dismembered body of a Minnesota mother of three, who vanished more than two months ago, was found in a storage unit – and her boyfriend was charged with her murder.

Police announced last week that Joseph Jorgenson, 40, allegedly killed Manijeh “Mani” Starren, 33, inside her apartment in St. Paul, Minnesota, in April and may be connected to another woman’s disappearance.

Video footage allegedly shows Starren fleeing her apartment April 21 at about 6 p.m.

Jorgenson pursued her then “grabbed her, turned her around, and pushed her back into the apartment,” according to a probable cause affidavit obtained by Fox News Digital.

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“Jorgenson is the only one that comes out of that unit, and Mani is never seen again,” St. Paul Sgt. Mike Ernster said at a news conference Friday. “He did not report her missing to police. Instead, he just went on with his life without saying anything to anyone.”

The nine-page affidavit, which outlines the grisly details of the slaying, says in June, police found Starren’s dismembered body in coolers and bags in a storage unit in Woodbury. 

Police also said at the press conference that Fanta Xayavong, 33, vanished in July 2021 after she was last seen with Jorgenson.

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“She does have a connection with Jorgenson, and, to put it bluntly, we’re concerned for her safety also,” Ernster said.

The investigation into Starren’s disappearance began May 1, after her father reported her missing and said she was “afraid” of her boyfriend. 

She allegedly told her son’s father that Jorgenson had once “wrapped a rope around her neck,” and neighbors said they had seen her previously with a black eye and red marks.

One neighbor told investigators she had offered to call the police, but Starren told her, “It will just make things worse.” 

It did not take long for police to zero in on Jorgenson, who allegedly left behind a trail of incriminating evidence.

In early April, Jorgenson had sent her threatening and abusive text messages. “Hope u die of a kidney infection b—- c— terrible f—ing mother,” he allegedly wrote.

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In the days after Starren was last seen on surveillance footage, Jorgenson was spotted entering her Seventh Street East apartment with her keys 28 times.

On April 28, he was seen in the video hauling two duffle bags and a suitcase from the unit to a pickup truck.

Police obtained Google data that showed he had searched “Jugular,” “What do police do with a missing person’s report,” and “lime for soil,” which is used to speed up decomposition.

Police executed a search warrant for Starren’s home and found a disturbing scene – including a cracked TV on the floor and large amounts of blood in the living room and kitchen that indicated “someone was killed or seriously injured in the apartment.”

At Jorgenson’s apartment in Maplewood, neighbors began to complain about a “foul smell” in mid-May. Days later, the building manager and another employee told police they saw Jorgenson dragging large black duffle bags out of the apartment, and it looked like he was “carrying a dead body.”

When investigators executed a search warrant on the apartment June 26, Jorgenson barricaded himself in his bedroom and started a fire. The SWAT team forced open the door, and Jorgenson allegedly fought with officers and tried to snatch their guns.

He was arrested and charged with arson, threats of violence and disarming an officer, records show.

The forensics team processed the unit and found a large pool of blood in the closet, where he attempted to light the fire.

READ THE AFFIDAVIT AGAINST JOSEPH JORGENSON ACCUSED OF MURDERING, DISMEMBERING GIRLFRIEND

GPS data from Jorgenson’s phone showed the device was in the vicinity of an iStorage facility at 881 Weir Drive on May 18, and a person had used his roommate’s name to rent a unit earlier that month.

Investigators forced open the unit and were hit by an overwhelming smell of “decomposing flesh.”

They found Starren’s torso inside a large cooler, her head in a smaller cooler and her arms and legs in a blue duffle bag.

The affidavit says she died of homicide, but her cause of death has not yet been determined.

A friend who launched a  GoFundMe page to raise money for Starren’s funeral described her as a devoted mother.

“April 21st was the first day of the worst 2 1/2 months this family could be put through,” wrote Bre Moinicken. “Her beautiful three kids have horrifically lost the most beautiful person in their lives.”

 

Jorgenson is being held on $5 million bail and is due back in court Aug. 21, court records show. His lawyer did not immediately return a request for comment.