A missing University of Minnesota student was discovered dead in the Mississippi River in St. Paul on Tuesday, authorities said.
According to Minneapolis police, foul play is not suspected in the death of the 21-year-old. The young man’s name was Abdirihman Abdifatah Ali, and he was known as Abdi, according to a family acquaintance; officials had other spellings of his name.
Last week, Minneapolis police received a missing person complaint regarding Ali, who was last seen on the University of Minnesota’s West Bank on Wednesday, according to a missing person sign. He was from Prior Lake, and he was about to graduate the next year.
Officers from St. Paul were dispatched to a report of a corpse in the river near Harriet Island at 5:45 p.m. Monday. Ali’s body was discovered by the Ramsey County Sheriff’s Office water patrol.
A statement on a Facebook group dedicated to finding Ali thanked people for spreading the news about him and requested thoughts, “prayers, kindness, and space for” Ali’s family to grieve, as well as the message: “We love you Abdi.” “You will be much missed.”
Ali was the second University of Minnesota student to be discovered dead in St. Paul’s Mississippi River. Austin Ray Retterath, 19, went missing on May 8 and was found on May 18; no foul play was suspected in his death.
