歪歪漫画

SOUDAN, Minn. 鈥� Theresa Kay Holappa had big plans. The very recent 1979 graduate of Tower-Soudan High 歪歪漫画 was set to leave June 4, 1979, to join the Women's Army Corps, according to a June 15, 1979, story in the Duluth News Tribune.

June 3 was her last Sunday in the Tower-Soudan area for a while. She attended a baptism ceremony for her sister's child and served as the godmother. She left the celebration at her sister's house around 1:30 p.m. and told her family she planned to finish packing and visit with friends later that night.

But something happened in that five-block walk between her sister's home and her own home, and Holappa disappeared.

Her parents contacted the local police department right away when she didn't return from her sister's house. A day later, she was officially listed as a missing person, which started a 10-day search of the area, according to the same June 15 story in the News Tribune. The family lived in uncertainty about Holappa's fate for 10 days before receiving a dreaded knock on the door.

Holappa's body was found in a wooded area about a mile south of Tower on June 13, 1979. Due to the deteriorated condition of the body, the cause of death couldn't be determined immediately, although reports indicate that foul play was suspected. A few days later, the results from the Hennepin County Medical Examiner's Office concluded that Holappa died of multiple stab wounds, according to a June 29, 1979, News Tribune story.

Holappa's family members declined to be interviewed for this story, but confirmed that about a year later, investigators returned to the family's home to reveal that they had a suspect, but that the individual had been suspected of another crime and took their own life before they could be arrested. The case was considered suspended because there were no other suspects and insufficient evidence to prove the lone suspect guilty.

The case remained suspended for decades. There was some movement on social media in 2019 when classmates of Holappa gathered for their 40th reunion and asked for the county to test DNA or find another way to resolve the case.

When the News Tribune reached out to the St. Louis County Sheriff's Office for a status update, an information specialist replied that there was no data available about the case. It's unclear if that is because the case is considered closed or if it remains suspended.

Back when Holappa's body was first found, her uncle, Curtis Barsness of Eden Prairie, said his niece was "very mature, strong, always willing to help." He remembered her for her involvement in church activities and said she was a good student.

鈥淵ou keep hoping for the things that sound the best to you until you get the bad news,鈥� Barsness said in the June 15 News Tribune story.

Holappa's family received the bad news in the form of a suspended case over 40 years ago.