ISANTI COUNTY, Minn. 鈥� Donald Rindahl hadn鈥檛 been seen by friends and family members since he said goodbye in the summer of 1970.
The 22-year-old told family members he was off to California, yet their concern regarding his whereabouts quickly escalated when the Federal Bureau of Investigation began searching for him on an unrelated matter.
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鈥淭hey were told that the FBI had been looking for him prior to his disappearance due to involvement with drugs,鈥� DNASolves said in a news release regarding Rindahl鈥檚 case.
Unbeknownst to the FBI and his family, Rindahl鈥檚 remains were buried in a shallow grave along Isanti County鈥檚 rural stretch near the intersection of Highway 47 and County Road 5.
His remains were discovered in the summer of 2003 by a landscaper, launching a quest to uncover his identity.
That quest began with analysis of the remains, which were believed to belong to a white male between ages 20 and 28. Initial estimates put his date of death and burial between three and 28 years, creating a wide gap of possible missing persons cases to cross-reference.
Known then as Isanti John Doe, his dental records were submitted to the missing persons database, and his DNA sample was obtained. At the same time, a portrait reflecting the likely image of the then-unidentified man was created.
From there, the case hit a dead end 鈥� until 2019 when a new investigator took over the case.
Chasing DNA advancements
Lisa Lovering, then-Isanti County Sheriff鈥檚 Office chief deputy, began searching for new DNA technology that could help crack the case, and she didn鈥檛 stop until she had an answer.
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The first attempts to obtain DNA profiles through the extraction of DNA samples were executed through the Bureau of Criminal Apprehension in 2019 and 2020, according to a DNASolves news release.
Both attempts failed.
Lovering, who was heading the case at the time, sought another measure. One more sample was sent to an outside lab. The results were the same: the sample didn鈥檛 yield the quality of DNA necessary to obtain a DNA profile for genetic matching.
At that point, Lovering began looking outside the scope of familiarity and geographical territory. She discovered Othram, a Texas-based lab specializing in forensic-grade genome sequencing.
The lab is utilized by law enforcement agencies in cases where local and state labs have failed to extract DNA from degraded or damaged samples. In short, they鈥檙e the elite among the forensic scientific community.
Their website advertises directly to law enforcement officials handling cold cases, offering renewed hope in scenarios where repeated DNA analysis has failed to extract a genetic profile suitable for national databases and forensic genealogy efforts.
鈥淲e work with forensic professionals, medical examiners and law enforcement globally to achieve results the first time, even when other approaches have failed,鈥� the Othram site states.
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That claim rang true for Isanti John Doe鈥檚 case.
After the first attempt by Othram in 2022, the Isanti County Sheriff鈥檚 Office received the news they had been after for years: they were able to extract a viable genetic profile.
That profile was submitted to a national database and led to a DNA match with Isanti John Doe鈥檚 distant relative. The Isanti County Sheriff鈥檚 Office worked with an independent forensic genealogist, who worked backward through the family tree to discover at least two possible siblings.
Lovering met with the siblings, who provided DNA samples and invaluable information in the case. They confirmed that their brother, Rindahl, had gone missing in the summer of 1970 and that they believed he had been caught up in drug-related violence.
Rindahl has been identified, yet investigators and family members still don鈥檛 know who put him in the rural Isanti grave. They believe foul play is involved, and are still seeking answers from the public.
Anyone with information on this case can contact the Isanti County Sheriff's Office at 763-691-2426 or CrimeStoppers at 800-222-8477.
The Trust Project
