Despite online speculation concerning possible connections between the victims and foul play , the family members of three of the victims have publicly shared that their loved ones died due to battles with their mental health.
The Minneapolis Police Department has insisted that rumors about the deaths are unfounded, and that no connection exists between the individuals.
David Goehl-Manolis, a suicide prevention coordinator for the National Alliance on Mental Illness Minnesota , told CBS News that the public speculating on the circumstances of the deaths is not helpful for anyone involved. CBS News reports that a fifth body had been found.
"It's important to put the record straight. Every suicide death is a tragedy. It's not helpful for anyone to start to spread rumors and take guesses about the means that was used," he said. "I really encourage people to emphasize the way that someone lived their life and less on the way they died."
He said that "too many people, when they're struggling emotionally, keep it inside," and said help was available 24/7 via the confidential 988 hotline.
All of the bodies were found near the water's edge, mostly along the Mississippi River , between Saturday, August 15, and Thursday, August 20.
The first body discovered was that of Karen Lynn Sognesand, 56, of Maple Grove. She was found near the Mississippi River and the Hennepin Avenue Bridge on August 15.
On August 16, another person was discovered on the shore of Bde Maka Ska Lake, near the Stone Arch Bridge. They were found in a “severe state of decomposition" according to the Minneapolis Star Tribune .
The following day, a third body was found around 1 p.m. on August 17 near the Mississippi River and Stone Arch Bridge in downtown Minneapolis, a police spokesperson told The Independent Thursday. The victim was identified by the University of Minnesota police as Randip Eugene Satoskar, 54.
Two days later, a fourth body was discovered near the Mississippi River near the Hennepin Avenue Bridge.
The Independent has requested comment from the Minneapolis Police Department.
Outside Minneapolis itself, the body of another person, Timothy Standish Jr, 40, was found on August 14 in the Mississippi River near the city of Inver Grove Heights, according to Fox 9 .
Standish was from Minneapolis and lived in the city’s Stevens Square neighborhood, according to the Dakota County Sheriff’s Office.
Inver Grove Heights is approximately 20 miles southeast of Minneapolis.
If you are based in the USA, and you or someone you know needs mental health assistance right now, call or text 988, or visit 988lifeline.org to access online chat from the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline. This is a free, confidential crisis hotline that is available to everyone 24 hours a day, seven days a week. If you are in another country, you can go to www.befrienders.org to find a helpline near you.
If you are in the UK or the Republic of Ireland and are experiencing feelings of distress, or are struggling to cope, you can speak to the Samaritans, in confidence, on 116 123 or visit the Samaritans website to find details of your nearest branch.
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