Beltrami County authorities identify remains found in burn pit

Investigators believe that human remains found in Beltrami County last week are those of a former Twin Cities DJ and his friend from Wisconsin.

The remains were found Feb. 7 in a fire pit, behind a mobile home, northwest of Bemidji. The 44-year-old man who rented the property is a suspect in the double homicide case. He's in custody, but has not been charged.

According to statements from the Beltrami County Sheriff's Office, investigators executed a search warrant at the home in connection with a missing person report. At first, authorities weren't sure if they were dealing with one or two victims.

They said Wednesday that preliminary testing results identified the remains of 39-year-old Adam Thorpe of Maple Grove. Investigators believe they also found the remains of 41-year-old Jason McDonough, whose last known address was Superior, Wis. More testing is required to confirm his identity.

Police say Thorpe's family members contacted law enforcement when they couldn't reach him on the phone, or on social media. They said he'd been traveling in the Bemidji area with his friend, McDonough.

Deputies found the car Thorpe and McDonough had been driving in the parking lot of the Palace Casino, just east of Bemidji. That led them to the mobile home between Bemidji and Red Lake, where the remains were found.

Thorpe is a former DJ and promoter at First Avenue, a popular nightclub in Minneapolis. Club management confirms he worked there between 2010 and 2015.

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