Cold Cases in Minnesota

ColdCaseIndex documents 8 cold cases in Minnesota, spanning 1981–2020. 4 of these cases remain fully unsolved. Each case page includes documented details, status, and information on how to submit a tip.

8 Documented Cases
4 Still Unsolved
1981–2020 Year Range
2 Case Types

By Type

7 Homicides 1 Unidentified Person

By Status

4 Unsolved 3 Conviction 1 No Conviction

All Minnesota Cases

Conviction 2020

George Floyd

George Floyd died after Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin knelt on his neck for over nine minutes. His death sparked worldwide protests and the Black Lives Matter movement. Chauvin was convicted of second-degree m

Minneapolis Homicide Age 46
No Conviction 2016

Philando Castile

Philando Castile was shot and killed by a police officer during a traffic stop in Falcon Heights, Minnesota. His girlfriend broadcast the aftermath live on Facebook. Officer Jeronimo Yanez was acquitted of manslaughter i

Falcon Heights Homicide Age 32
Conviction 2004

Sarah Fox

Twenty-five-year-old Sarah Fox was killed while jogging near her Minneapolis home. Her body was found in the Mississippi River gorge. Michael Zebuhr's DNA was not a match but DNA evidence eventually pointed to Nathaniel

Minneapolis Homicide Age 25
Unsolved 2003

Paul Johnson

Forty-one-year-old Paul Johnson was found murdered in Minneapolis, Minnesota in September 2003. Despite investigation by Minneapolis Police, the case went cold. It remains in Hennepin County cold case files.

Minneapolis Homicide Age 41
Unsolved 1999

April Fitz

Twenty-year-old April Fitz was found murdered in Duluth, Minnesota in June 1999. Despite investigation, the case went cold. It remains in St. Louis County cold case files.

Duluth Homicide Age 20
Unsolved 1990

Terri Taber

Nineteen-year-old Terri Taber was found murdered in her apartment in Elk River, Minnesota. She had been strangled. Despite investigation and a reward offered, no arrests have been made.

Elk River Homicide Age 19
Conviction 1989

Jacob Wetterling

Eleven-year-old Jacob Wetterling was abducted at gunpoint near his home in St. Joseph, Minnesota. His disappearance led directly to the Jacob Wetterling Crimes Against Children and Sexually Violent Offender Registration

St. Joseph Homicide Age 11
Unsolved 1981

Moorhead Jane Doe

An unidentified young woman's remains were found near Moorhead, Minnesota in March 1981. She was found in a wooded area. Despite forensic testing and DNA analysis in recent years, she has never been identified.

Moorhead Unidentified Person