Authorities Name Soldier Whose Ft. Snelling Grave Was Disturbed
MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) – The Hennepin County Sheriff's Office has named the soldier whose grave at Ft. Snelling National Cemetery was found disturbed Thursday morning.
The grave belonged to Edward John Redhead, who served during the World War II-era. He was buried in the cemetery in 1971, according to the Veteran's Administration.
Early Thursday morning, a cemetery worker found that a significant amount of ground and soil had been removed near Redhead's grave site, the sheriff's office said. However, no damage was done to the grave marker.
"What we do know is it is very disturbing -- and certainly for the family of the man. We have been in contact with them already," said Sheriff Rich Stanek.
Redhead's grave site is one of more than 170,000 at Fort Snelling, which covers more than 430 acres.
Investigators say they haven't heard of any other cases like this in recent memory. They want the public to know that this type of crime is a felony -- one they take seriously.
Anyone with information is being urged to call the Hennepin County Sheriff's Office.
Redhead's body was exhumed as part of the investigation and has been taken to the Hennepin County Medical Examiner's Office.
Authorities are still investigating the case, the sheriff's office said.
