Authorities report that the remains of a missing teenager were discovered over the weekend in a landfill in Elk River.
16-year-old Jordan "Manny" Collins, Jr. was last seen on May 8th, and it was revealed Tuesday morning that there was a positive identification of the remains.
"We were offered information that led to a video, and that video showed some evidence that would suggest the body might have made its way into a dumpster, and into a garbage truck," said Anoka County Sheriff Brad Weiss.
Weiss also detailed the mammoth collaboration in the search, which included flying in FBI experts from Virginia.
"Over the course of the last four weeks, we literally had hundreds of searchers from over 30 different agencies," he says. "We had young people from forensic science colleges like Hamline University, to fire departments, to police departments, to sheriff's offices."
Authorities believed that Collins was being held against his will. A social media post indicated that law enforcement "wish to express our condolences to his mother, family, and loved ones during this tragic time."
A $10,000 reward was offered for information leading to the boy's whereabouts.
Details on how Collins died will be determined by the Midwest Medical Examiner.
There are no arrests, but authorities say there is a person of interest in the investigation.
Law enforcement from the Columbia Heights Police Department, Anoka County Sheriff’s Office, Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension, and Federal Bureau of Investigation are continuing to investigate Manny’s death.