MENDOTA HEIGHTS, Minn. - Authorities have identified a body that was discovered near a nature center in Mendota Heights Thursday afternoon.
According to the Hennepin County Medical examiner, the body is that of 35-year-old Joseph Hernandez. A friend reported Hernandez missing from a local motel on Nov. 7, according to Mendota Heights police.
According to police, someone hiking a trail near the Dodge Nature Center discovered his body in a marshy area south of Highway 110 around 2:30 p.m.
The cause and manner of death are being investigated by the Hennepin County Medical Examiner and Dakota County Sheriff's Office.
