SWATARA– The Aitkin County Sheriff’s office made an arrest in connection with the discovery of a missing Cass County woman’s body.
According to the release, 35-year-old Michelle Mae of Outing was reported missing on Oct. 3, and her Jeep was found a day later in Swatara.
During the missing person investigation, 34-year-old Joshua Emil Karjala of Swatara was arrested on a probation violation and has been in custody since Oct. 5.
Joshua Karjala, 34, Swatara. Photo courtesy of the Aitkin County Sheriff Office
Mae’s body was found Tuesday on a rural property in Swatara, where Karjala lived.
The Ramsey County Medical Examiner’s preliminary findings conclude that the likely cause of Mae’s death was homicide.
Toxiciology reports are pending.
The efforts to find Mae’s body included daily ground searches, as well as K9, drone and water searches.
Karjala has not yet been formally charged, but the investigation has been forwarded to the Aitkin County Attorney’s Office.
