Keegan Oyugi's Body And Car Found In Savage, Police Say

MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) -- Keegan Oyugi, a 26-year-old man who's been missing for more than two weeks, has apparently been found dead in a single-vehicle crash in the south metro, according to the Minnetrista Police Department.

Police confirmed that a car found off Highway 101 in Savage belonged to Oyugi. They said that there was a deceased individual in the driver's seat of the vehicle, and his description matches that of Oyugi, down to the clothing he was believed to be wearing when he went missing.

"As we await formal identification from the medical examiner's office, our thoughts and prayers go out to the Oyugi family," the police department said.

Earlier Tuesday, the westbound lanes of the highway in the south metro suburb were closed after someone reported seeing a badly-damaged red car in a copse of trees.

Oyugi was last seen leaving the Prior Lake area on June 12, heading home to St. Bonifacius. He was driving a red Ford Mustang. The 26-year-old lived and worked in the community near Crown College, where he graduated two years ago. He was a star basketball player and worked for the college's program. Stacy Ingraham worked closely with Oyugi when he played for Crown.

"This was simply the happiest guy you would ever meet in the world," Ingraham said.

She came to the crash site as soon as she heard what was going on.

"Keegan was a believer in Jesus Christ, and we're so proud of the man he was," she said. "We know that where he is eternally, and for that we're grateful, as well as we're grateful for the legacy he left."

Oyugi's parents have had the Minnesota Kenyans Association to lean on for support while they're up from Kansas. Lillian Otieno is MKA's co-founder.

"They're of course extremely devastated," Otieno said. "This is really sad for them. Regardless of how much time has passed, there was always that sliver of hope that things would turn out where we would welcome Keegan back."

Ingraham says losing Oyugi like this is a surreal tragedy.

"You never saw him without a smile on his face, and just an amazing, amazing young man," she said.

Over the last few weeks, his family, friends and the group Minnesota United -- a community group which "strives to bring families back together" -- have searched for him, at times using a kayak team and volunteers with drones. The Minnesota United page asked that people pray for the Oyugi family and honor their privacy during this difficult time.