Winter storm warnings continue in northern Minnesota 

MPR News helps you turn down the noise and build shared understanding. Turn up your support for this public resource and keep trusted journalism accessible to all. 

Turn Up Your Support

A nonprofit group that uses genetic genealogy to investigate unidentified human remains has put a name to a body found in a vacant office building in St. Paul’s Lowertown nearly 40 years ago.

The body was found frozen in February 1985 in the former headquarters of the Great Northern Railroad at Wall Street and Kellogg Boulevard. It’s now the Great Northern Lofts. 

The man, who was believed to have been homeless, died from exposure, possibly weeks or months before he was found.

There were no clues to his identity and his name remained a mystery — until earlier this year.

The California-based DNA Doe Project says Ramsey County officials brought them the case, and they started working on it in May. DNA evidence pointed to a man named Frank Augenti. That identity was confirmed in August and 

Researchers say Augenti was born in Pennsylvania in 1951, later lived in New York and lost touch with family in the early 1980s. In an 

 earlier this year, his surviving relatives said he was an artist and musician who was loved and is missed.

“Frank was quiet, respectful and kind,” the obituary says. “He served as an altar boy at St. Francis in his youth. In high school, he would jam with his friends in their ‘basement band.’ His friends referred to him as ‘Hogie.’”

Augenti’s remains appear to have been among 

 from eastern Twin Cities metro graveyards in 2017, according to the Pioneer Press. At the time, the Bureau of Criminal Apprehension was working to collect DNA from unidentified bodies found before such testing was used. It also held DNA collection events for people with missing relatives in an effort to make a match.

Augenti was ultimately identified because a cousin uploaded their DNA results to the genealogy site GEDmatch, said Lisa Ivany, a co-leader on the team that found the match.

Augenti is survived by three sisters and their children.

Minnesota News

Science

Homepage

St. Paul News

MPR News Staff

Author

The body was found frozen in February 1985 in the former headquarters of the Great Northern Railroad at Wall Street and Kellogg Boulevard. It’s now the Great Northern Lofts. The man, who was believed to have been homeless, died from exposure, possibly weeks or months before he was found.

Nonprofit solves decades-old mystery, IDs remains found in vacant St. Paul building

Go Deeper.

Like this?

News you can use in your inbox