Man linked to 2 women found dead in Minnesota storage units threatened to kill tipster who feared hu

A tipster who reported a Minnesota woman missing before her body was found in a storage unit last week said he tried to get her help for a drug addiction but was threatened by a man whom authorities have identified as a person of interest in her case, law enforcement documents show.

The person of interest, Joseph Jorgenson, 40, was charged with second-degree murder in the killing of a second missing woman whose dismembered remains were discovered in a different storage unit on June 28.

The tipster called the Minnesota Human Trafficking Investigators Task Force and said a friend, Fanta Xayavong, 33, was missing and possibly a victim of sex trafficking, according to applications for search warrants filed this month that were obtained by NBC affiliate KARE of Minneapolis.

He told authorities that before Xayavong disappeared roughly two years ago, she’d struggled with drug addiction and he’d tried to get her into rehab, according to the documents. 

“JORGENSON threatened to kill him,” the documents say, adding that the tipster provided text messages showing the threats.

The tipster, who didn’t respond to a request for comment, described Jorgenson as “very abusing” toward Xayavong, according to the documents.

He contacted authorities after he learned that the remains of another woman linked to Jorgenson, Manijeh “Mani” Starren, had been found in a storage unit, St. Paul police spokesman Mike Ernster told reporters last week.

Authorities confirmed with her family that Xayavong had last been seen in July 2021, according to the documents. She was reported missing on May 25, Ernster said.

Both women had been in relationships with Jorgenson, Ernster said.

The applications, filed in Ramsey County District Court, sought access to the property surrounding Jorgenson’s suburban apartment, along with his email, Facebook and Uber accounts.

Xayavong’s body was found July 6 in a storage unit in Coon Rapids, about 25 miles northwest of St. Paul, St. Paul police said in a statement last week.

Ernster said the manner of death was homicide. He didn’t provide additional details about the cause of death.

According to a statement of probable cause in Starren's case, her dismembered remains were found in a storage unit in Woodbury, about 9 miles southeast of St. Paul.

Starren's father reported her missing on May 1 and told authorities that she'd struggled with drug addiction and mental health issues and that she was supposed to have gone to a drug treatment center when she disappeared, according to the document.

During her father's last call with her on April 18, she seemed paranoid and afraid, and he believed she was afraid of her boyfriend, the document says.

Authorities later found security video showing Jorgenson pushing her into her St. Paul apartment on April 21, according to the statement.

Starren was never seen leaving the home again, though Jorgenson was later recorded on video leaving her apartment with two duffel bags and a suitcase, and in a search of her apartment, authorities found large amounts of blood around the apartment that someone appeared to have cleaned up, the document says.

Jorgenson was arrested June 26 after he allegedly started a fire in his apartment when authorities tried to take him into custody, police said in a statement. Authorities said he fought with officers and tried to disarm them.

Jorgenson's bond was set at $5 million.

A lawyer for Jorgenson couldn’t be reached for comment. A relative didn’t respond to a request for comment.

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