You don't want to live in Minnesota! (896 hits)
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Submitted by Amy Wahman <Goldneyes01.at.hotmail.com> (View user info) at 2003-08-06 13:00:55 EDT
http://www.startribune.com/stories/462/4026694.html
Coon Rapids couple finds remains of 3 infants in old trunks
Paul Levy, Star Tribune
Published August 6, 2003 INFA06
A Coon Rapids couple discovered the remains of a third infant Tuesday, a day after finding the bones of two others while sifting through storage trunks inherited from a deceased family member.
The bones of the three infants, believed to have been dead for at least 10 years, were discovered by Michael and Kathleen Manning, authorities said.
The storage trunks had belonged to Kathleen Manning's mother, who died four years ago, according to the Anoka County Sheriff's Office, which would not reveal the mother's name. The locked trunks had been kept at Manning Transfer, a Blaine storage facility run by Michael Manning, 57, and brought to the Manning home in Coon Rapids within the past week, according to the Sheriff's Office.
The Mannings notified Coon Rapids police Monday after opening the larger of three trunks and smelling a foul odor, said sheriff's Capt. Robert Aldrich.
Authorities found the small bones of what they originally thought was one infant's body.
But there was a second, smaller trunk within the storage case. It contained the remains of another infant's body, Aldrich said.
When another locked trunk -- about the size of an old metal typewriter case -- was broken into and opened Tuesday morning, the bones of a third child were discovered.
Authorities did not speculate Tuesday on the age of the infants or the manner of their deaths. Autopsies are scheduled for today, but it could take several months to determine by DNA testing whether the infants' bodies can be linked to relatives, authorities said.
"You know as much as we do," Michael Manning told the Star Tribune in a telephone interview. "We're in no position to answer any questions. We prefer some privacy till we know more."
When Manning, CEO of Manning Transfer, was asked why he and his wife decided, after several years, to open trunks that had been stored in semitrailers, he said, "We'll comment on a later date."
A man who answered the Mannings' door refused to give his name, but said, "It's very sad right now. All we can do is speculate."
Police said that the Mannings have been cooperative and are not considered suspects in any wrongdoing. It is the family's belief that Kathleen Manning's mother collected things in boxes for years, authorities said.
The Mannings may have brought the trunks home because they were curious to "see what the mother collected," Aldrich said. "She had a goodly amount of possessions," he said.
The Mannings told authorities they had no clue as to where the trunks may have originated. "This was not the mother they knew," Aldrich said the couple told police.
"The family's reaction is complete surprise that there may have been [the remains of] small children [in the storage cases]," Aldrich said. "They're in shock.
"They're stupefied and stunned by this."
Staff writer Allen Powell II contributed to this report.Paul Levy is at plevy.at.startribune.com.
User Reviews
Submitted by kinney69 (user info) at 2003-08-13 00:26:25 EDT (#)
Ranking: 2
+2 for Lucid's comment.
Submitted by loki (user info) at 2003-08-06 15:17:26 EDT (#)
Ranking: 0
If I found something like that I would scream to the point of going sonic.
Submitted by Thanatos (user info) at 2003-08-06 15:02:52 EDT (#)
Ranking: 0
Well, you can be glad you don't live in Arizona though. I seem to recall people found like 20 corpses stuffed in barrels at some guy's house a few years ago.
Submitted by ronnockeem (user info) at 2003-08-06 15:01:50 EDT (#)
Ranking: 1
Could you imagine looking through your mothers shit and finding some baby corpses? This is so sad... Good thing that Radar Love is playing on my computer, its hard to be sad with that song on. Its just so damn good.
Submitted by lucid (user info) at 2003-08-06 14:56:09 EDT (#)
Ranking: 2
She has to be thankful that her mother only had 3 trunks.
Submitted by Quartermain (user info) at 2003-08-06 14:41:33 EDT (#)
Ranking: 0
There was a story in the Star-Tribune yesterday about some woman who up and slit her infant daughter's throat.
Submitted by Slovin (user info) at 2003-08-06 13:21:08 EDT (#)
Ranking: 1
If that were New York City, the infant corpses would be stuffed with cocaine.
Submitted by Goldneyes (user info) at 2003-08-06 13:01:27 EDT (#)
Ranking: 0
oooppppssss, sorry, I didnt realize it was so long!