DUNN COUNTY, Wis. — The Dunn County Sheriff's Office has identified four Minnesotans who were found dead in an abandoned SUV Sunday in Sheridan Township, Wisc.
Authorities say the victims are Nitosha Lee Flug-Presley, 30, of Stillwater; Matthew Isiah Pettus, 26, of St. Paul; Loyace Foreman III, 35, of St. Paul; and Jasmine Christine Sturm, 30, of St. Paul. The Ramsey County Medical Examiner determined they all died from gunshot wounds.
"Our hearts go out to the family and friends of these victims," Dunn County Sheriff Kevin Bygd said.
Sheriff Bygd added that his office is balancing the "public's desire" to know more details, with "running the risk" of compromising the investigation.
The investigation started when the abandoned vehicle was found within a cornfield alongside a rural road around 2:30 p.m. Sunday.
During a press conference on Tuesday, Sheriff Bygd said they believe the SUV had "intentionally" been driven into the cornfield, and that they're currently seeking a suspect or suspects, who they believe abandoned the vehicle and left the area before the victims were discovered.
WACTH THE FULL PRESS CONFERENCE BELOW:
Officials also couldn't say if the victims were killed in the cornfield or if they were killed somewhere else and driven to this area to hide them. The sheriff did say it appears that the four victims had been there for less than 24 hours before they were found, but they have no evidence that connects any of them to Dunn County.
When asked how confident he was that the suspect or suspects are not still in the area, Sheriff Bygd said he has a "very high degree of certainty" that they've left the area, adding "we are very confident that these victims were randomly brought here."
The sheriff's office does not believe the general public to be in danger and are urging the public to contact them with any information pertaining to the incident at 715-232-1348.