A Single Mother Vanished from Her Apartment — Her Boyfriend Was the Last Person Seen with Her… Then Police Found Her Dismembered Body in a Storage Unit.
On May 1, 2023, the father of 34-year-old Menajah “Manny” Starn made a desperate call to the Saint Paul Police Department.
His daughter — a mother of three — had gone silent.
She was supposed to enter drug treatment.
She never showed up.
The last time he spoke to her, on April 18, she sounded paranoid and terrified… afraid of her boyfriend.
What started as a missing persons case would unravel into one of the most disturbing crimes in Minnesota history.
Manny Starn was born in 1989.
Those who knew her described a kind, patient woman who lit up rooms despite battling addiction and mental health struggles.
Her children didn’t live with her as she fought those demons, but she stayed in regular contact with family and her kids’ fathers.
Until suddenly… she didn’t.
Saint Paul officers quickly learned that Manny’s last known relationship was with 40-year-old Joseph Stephen Jorgensen.
Neighbors had seen bruises on her.
One recalled seeing her with a black eye and red marks on her neck — injuries she quietly admitted came from him.
She begged the neighbor not to call police.
Apartment surveillance became the smoking gun.
On April 21, 2023, cameras captured Manny stepping out of her unit in distress.
Jorgensen immediately grabbed her, turned her around, and forced her back inside.
That was the last time anyone saw her alive.
After that evening, only Jorgensen was seen entering and leaving the apartment — a staggering 28 times over the following week.
He had a key.
She had only one set.
Even more chilling: on May 28, footage showed Jorgensen hauling two duffel bags and a suitcase out of her apartment, loading them into a pickup truck, and driving off.
He never reported her missing.
As suspicion grew, investigators searched Manny’s apartment.
What they found painted a nightmare:
Blood belonging to Manny on the couch, floor, and kitchen — with clear signs of attempted cleanup.
A cracked TV screen, broken microwave glass, a window screen ripped off.
A foam mattress pad with a large section deliberately cut out.
Red stains at the foot of the bed.
Meanwhile, Manny’s EBT card was still being used after she vanished.
Jorgensen made suspicious purchases: cleaning buckets, Saran wrap, garbage bags, latex gloves, paper towels, disinfectant wipes — multiple times.
He even searched Google for “jugular,” how police handle missing persons reports, clearing Android cookies… and later, “lime for soil” (a substance known to accelerate body decomposition).
On June 26, 2023, SWAT raided Jorgensen’s apartment in Maplewood.
He barricaded himself, started a fire, fought officers, and tried to grab a gun.
Inside, another woman bore fresh bruises and strangulation marks.
She told police Jorgensen had threatened her: “The neighbors won’t hear you scream.”
A search of his apartment revealed a pool of blood in the front closet — where the unbearable stench of decay had been reported weeks earlier.
Maggots were already active.
Then came the storage unit in Woodbury.
Using a key found in Jorgensen’s apartment, investigators opened the unit on June 28.
The smell hit them instantly.
Inside: coolers and duffel bags wrapped in layer after layer of plastic and Saran wrap.
X-rays confirmed what they feared — a human body, carefully dismembered.
The torso was in one cooler.
The head in another.
Arms, legs, and feet in the duffel bag.
The Ramsey County Medical Examiner confirmed the remains were Menajah Starn.
She had been murdered, cut apart in her own apartment, and hidden.
But the horror didn’t stop there.
During the investigation, police learned another of Jorgensen’s ex-girlfriends — 33-year-old Fanta Giavong — had also vanished in 2021 after being last seen with him.
Her remains were later discovered in a separate storage unit north of Minneapolis.
Joseph Stephen Jorgensen now faces second-degree murder charges in Manny’s death, along with arson, threats, and more.
Bail was set at $5 million.
Another woman’s murder is also under intense scrutiny.
A single mother who just wanted to get clean… disappeared without a trace.
Her killer allegedly went about daily life, using her benefits card, dragging heavy bags through apartment hallways, and keeping her dismembered body nearby — all while her family searched in desperation.
How many more secrets does Joseph Jorgensen hold?
The truth behind Manny Starn’s final days is as horrifying as it is heartbreaking.
Justice is moving forward… but the darkness of this case lingers.
What do you think — could this be the work of a serial killer who was only just stopped?
Drop your thoughts below.
Stay safe out there.
Disclaimer : This content may be created by AI for entertainment purposes. Any resemblance to real persons, events, or places is coincidental.
