11/07/01: Chris Nordby, 27, Minneapolis, MN

Christopher Nordby, 27, a bicycle messenger, was last seen at his work in the vicinity of the 100 block of 3rd Street North in the Warehouse District in downtown Minneapolis. When he didn't return home, Nordby's father, Hennepin County District Judge Jack Nordby, reported his son missing.

Christopher's bag turned up near the Missisippi River; his body was recovered from the river three months later.

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Recovery
On Monday, February 11, 2002, authorities recovered Nordby’s body after a female University student spotted it floating along the west bank of the river near the Washington Avenue Bridge while on her way to class.

From Bike Messenger Memorial, 02/12/02:

"The body of an unidentified man, who appeared to be 18 to 20 years old, was found in the Mississippi River, near the Washington Avenue Bridge on Monday morning, after a student spotted it, Minneapolis police said. The body appeared to have been in the river for some time and is being investigated by the Minneapolis Police Homicide Unit, although the cause of the man's death has not been determined, Lt. L.A. Evenrud of the Minneapolis park police said.

Hennepin County Medical Examiners Office said the autopsy and identification of the body should be completed Tuesday morning. A female student on her way to class spotted the corpse floating along the river on the West Bank, Evenrud said. Police officials from several departments searched for the body Monday morning, and a Minneapolis Fire Department boat recovered the body near the University's Centennial Showboat's dock before noon, Evenrud said.

He said he thinks this is the third body found in the Mississippi this year, which he said is average. In the two previous cases, two women jumped off the Franklin Avenue bridge at different times in January. One woman was found dead, and another was pulled ashore and survived, Evenrud said."

According to the MN Daily, "an evaluation by the Hennepin County medical examiner revealed no signs of evident trauma on the body, but Minneapolis police are still investigating the death pending toxicology reports, said Minneapolis police spokeswoman Cyndi Montgomery. 'It's all based on the medical examiner's findings,' she said." Drowning is the suspected cause of death.

Coincidences
The Warehouse district and the river are only a few blocks from where Chris Jenkins later disappeared in October 2002. Jenkins was a student at the University of Minnesota's Carlson School of Management. Nordby was a former University of Minnesota student last registered in spring 2000.

Facts of Interest
Name/age: Christopher Jack Nordby, 27
DOB: 4/19/73
College: former University of Minnesota student
Physical description: 5'10", 175 pounds, blonde hair, blue-grey eyes, repaired broken front tooth, athletic (bicycle courier), possibly wearing long shorts and a t-shirt
Last seen: 11/07/01, Minneapolis (100 block of 3rd Street North in the Warehouse District)
Recovered: 02/11/02, Mississippi River
Cause of death: suspected drowning
Injuries: no signs of trauma
Blood Alcohol Content: unknown, if any

Sources
Body identified; Drowning Suspected, MN Daily, 02/13/02
Bike Messenger Memorial, 02/12/02

Other Links
Hennepin County Bar Association