Missing man's cause of death revealed after remains found in vehicle pulled from Mississippi River
Inside the unsolved case of Roy Benn
The human remains found in a vehicle pulled from the Mississippi River near Sartell were identified as Roy Benn. Benn, who was 59 at the time of his disappearance, was last seen on Sept. 25, 1967, at around 4 a.m. in a café in Sartell. His remains were discovered in August 2025. Benton County Sheriff Troy Heck explains the investigation into discovering and identifying Benn's remains.
SARTELL, Minn. (FOX 9) - Authorities have determined the cause of death for a man reported missing in 1967 and whose remains were found in a submerged vehicle in the Mississippi River.
Roy Benn's remains found in submerged vehicle
The backstory:
The Stearns County Sheriff’s Office said a 1963 Buick Electra sedan was pulled from the Mississippi River on Aug. 10, 2025, near Riverside Avenue in Sartell, Minnesota. The vehicle was first spotted by a fisherman who noticed an "anomaly" on his sonar and reported it to law enforcement.
On Sept. 4, medical examiners at the Midwest Medical Examiner’s Office confirmed through DNA testing that the remains were of Roy Benn, who had been missing since September 1967.
Benn, who was 59 at the time of his disappearance, was last seen on Sept. 25, 1967, at around 4 a.m. in a café in Sartell. Interviews and searches failed to locate Benn for decades, until his vehicle was located, police say.
Roy Benn's cause of death
Local perspective:
In an update on Wednesday, the Benton County Sheriff's Office said the medical examiner concluded Benn died "as the result of a single motor vehicle crash with water submersion."
There is no evidence foul play was involved in Benn's death. His death will be ruled accidental, and authorities are closing the case.
What they're saying:
In a press release, the Benton County Sheriff’s Office said it would "like to thank all the agencies who assisted in the investigation of Benn’s disappearance and recovery of Benn’s vehicle and remains."