Sheriff identifies deceased man in vehicle

Rice County Sheriff Troy Dunn says the medical examiner has positively identified the individual found dead inside a parked vehicle at the Flying J Truck Stop in Northfield as Jay Hanson, 51, of Lonsdale.

The sheriff added preliminary results from the investigation are that Hanson died from self-inflicted wounds.

Dunn said final results are pending the complete report from the Hennepin Count Medical Examiner’s Office and the Rice County Coroner.

Hanson was reported missing to local law enforcement on April 12. At 3:02 Monday morning, Hanson was found in his vehicle parked in the rural Rice County truck stop.

A Rice County sheriff’s deputy ran a license plate of the vehicle parked in the lot and it had a missing person alert attached to the registered owner. The deputy looked inside the vehicle and saw the deceased occupant. Rice County Investigators and a Bureau of Criminal Apprehension Agent arrived and began the investigation.

In a news release by Dunn, he says his department’s “condolences go out to his family and friends.”