Body found in Lonsdale is Anarae Schunk

UPDATE: Rosemount Police Chief Eric Werner released information stating that the body found in the roadside ditch in rural Lonsdale late Monday afternoon, Sept. 30, was identified as the missing University of Minnesota student Anarae Schunk, 20. The Hennepin County Medical Examiner identified the body and notified the Rosemount Police this afternoon. 

Schunk had been missing since September 22, after last being seen by her best friend who dropped her off to meet up with her ex-boyfriend Shavelle Chavez-Nelson, 31. She was seen on surveillance video going into Nina's Grill in Burnsville that same evening with Chavez-Nelson who was later arrested for fatally shooting a man outside that bar.

The Rosemount Police are currently the lead investigating agency in the case, in partnership with the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension, the Dakota County Sheriff's Office and other law enforcement agencies.

The investigation is ongoing and police are seeking information from the public to help with the case. Please contact the Dakota County Sheriff's Office tip line at 651-438-4720 with any information. Anonymous information can also be provided online at http://www.dakotacountysheriff.org/etlp.html.

Late Monday afternoon a body was found in a ditch just north of Lonsdale. At 4:27 p.m., Rice County Sheriff Troy Dunn said they were called to the 7000 block of 60th Street West in rural Lonsdale, Wheatland Township. Upon arrival, investigators confirmed the report and contacted the Minnesota BCA for assistance.

Within a short period of time, local Facebook and Twitter accounts lit up with speculation about the investigation, and news sources arrived on the scene shortly thereafter. 

The identity of the victim remains unknown. (Lori Nickel Photo)