ST. PAUL, Minn. – Last week the dismembered body of a Minnesota mother of three who had been missing for two months was found inside a storage unit and police have charged her boyfriend with murder.
Joseph Jorgenson, 40, was identified as the murder suspect. He is accused of killing Manijeh “Mani” Starren, 33, inside her St. Paul apartment in April, according to law enforcement authorities.
The St. Paul Police Department provided the following investigative overview:
On May 1, 2023, the family of Manijeh “Mani” Starren filed a missing person report with the Sain Paul Police Department. They reported that they had not heard from Starren since April 2023.
Saint Paul Police investigators opened a case and went to the last known location of Starren, which was her apartment on East Seventh Street in Saint Paul. After speaking with management, a search warrant was conducted there, and blood evidence was located in the apartment. This evidence, along with video surveillance, led investigators to believe that a crime occurred and identified a person of interest.
Investigators focused on Joseph S. Jorgenson, 40, of Maplewood, Minn. and his connection to Starren. Jorgenson was the last person to enter Starren’s apartment after her disappearance and made no attempt to report her missing to police.
On Monday, June 26, a search warrant was executed in Maplewood by the Saint Paul SWAT team. When SWAT made entry, Jorgenson started a fire, eventually fought with officers and attempted to disarm them. Two officers suffered minor injuries. Jorgenson was arrested at the scene on unrelated charges and booked into Ramsey County Jail after being evaluated at Regions Hospital. A search of the apartment did reveal blood evidence.
The investigation continued and revealed a connection to a storage facility on the 800 block of Weir Drive in Woodbury. Saint Paul Police executed a search warrant on June 28 and located human remains. The Forensic Services Unit and the Ramsey County Medical Examiner responded to the storage unit and processed the unit as a crime scene.
The remains were recovered and transported to the Ramsey County Medical Examiner’s Office for further examination. The remains were identified on June 29 as Manijeh Starren, 34, of Saint Paul, Minn. and her death was ruled a homicide.
Jorgenson has been charged with one count of second-degree murder by the Ramsey County Attorney’s Office in relation to the death of Starren.
“Any crime that occurs in our community is horrific. A homicide is among the worst of all crimes for family, for our community, and even our investigators,” said St. Paul Police Chief Axel Henry. “Our department is committed to bringing those who cause harm to justice, and now a very dangerous person is under arrest. The apprehension of this suspect illustrated the danger he posed to the public, and the dedication of our officers to protect our community.”
Security footage recovered by investigators showed Starren attempting to flee her apartment on April 21 around 6 p.m., Fox News reported, citing a probable cause affidavit.
“Jorgenson is the only one that comes out of that unit, and Mani is never seen again,” St. Paul Sgt. Mike Ernster told media members during a Friday press conference. “He did not report her missing to police. Instead, he just went on with his life without saying anything to anyone.”
Manijeh “Mani” Starren was last seen trying to leave her apartment in April before Jorgenson pulled back inside. (Image via FOX News)
According to the police affidavit, Starren told her son’s father that Jorgenson had once wrapped a rope around her neck and that she fled her apartment after “things got out of hand.”
Neighbors reported seeing her with a black eye and red marks on her throat. When a person offered to call the police, Starren told her that “it will just make things worse.”
At Jorgenson’s Maplewood apartment, neighbors complained of a “foul smell” resembling a dead animal beginning on May 16. The manager told law enforcement authorities it “impacted the whole building.”
When the building manager and a maintenance worker tried to enter the apartment to inspect the detestable odor, Jorgenson “was verbally hostile” and refused to allow them entry into a bedroom where the stench appeared to originate, the affidavit revealed.
Not long after, Jorgenson was seen by the employees carrying large black duffle bags out of the apartment, Fox News reported.
They commented to each other that it looked like Jorgenson was “carrying a dead body,” the affidavit says.
Starren’s dismembered body was found in an iStorage unit. (Screenshot FOX News)
GPS data from Jorgenson’s phone revealed he had been to a local storage facility. Investigators discovered that he used his roommate’s name to rent a unit earlier in the month.
Once police opened the storage unit, they were overwhelmed with a nauseous odor due to “decomposing flesh,” the affidavit says.
Starren’s head was located in a small cooler, her torso was found inside a large cooler, and her arms and legs were stuffed in a duffle bag. A cause of death has not yet been determined.
Police believe Jorgenson may also be connected to another woman’s disappearance. Fanta Xayavong, 33, disappeared in July 2021 and was last seen with the man, investigators said at the press conference, New York Post reported.
“She does have a connection with Jorgenson, and, to put it bluntly, we’re concerned for her safety also,” Ernster said.
Joseph Jorgenson, right, is accused of murdering Minnesota mother of three Manijeh “Mani” Starren, left, and is a suspect in the disappearance of Fanta Xayavong, center, who vanished in July 2021, according to police. (Facebook – St. Paul Police Department)
Jorgenson was booked into jail and is being held on $5 million bail. He is scheduled to next appear in court Aug. 21, according to court records.
