Missing woman found in retention pond drowned, Medical Examiner confirms

(ABC 6 News) – A Rochester woman found in a pond about two years after her disappearance drowned, according to the Southern Minnesota Regional Medical Examiner’s Office.

Jodi Boeckermann was found in a Pontiac Grand Am that was towed out of a Rochester Ready Mix retention pond in June of 2023.

On Oct. 24, ABC 6 News obtained Boeckermann’s report from the Medical Examiner’s Office, which states that Boeckermann’s cause of death was drowning.

The manner of death — which can be natural, accidental, homicide, or suicide was undetermined, according to the report.

Rochester police said during the initial investigation into Boeckermann’s disappearance, investigators learned that she had been on medication that could cause disorientation if she did not take it regularly.

The report lists Oct. 17, 2021, as Boeckermann’s “injury date” — more than a year and a half before she was found, during a drought that lowered the pond’s water level enough to make her car visible.

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(ABC 6 News) – UPDATE: The Southern Minnesota Regional Medical Examiner’s Office confirmed the deceased individual is Jodi Boeckermann Friday, June 30. Cause of death information is not yet available.

Capt. Casey Moilanen said Boeckermann’s ID was recovered from the Pontiac Grand Am towed out of the retention pond on the Rochester Ready Mix property Wednesday afternoon.

Boeckermann was last spotted in a Pontiac Grand Am when she was last seen in October of 2021.

The Southern Minnesota Medical Examiner’s Office has yet to confirm the identity of the body of the woman — but “all indications” are that Boeckermann has been found, Moilanen said.

The medical examiner’s office and RPD are working together to confirm Boeckermann’s identity and cause of death, Moilanen said — but there is currently no indication of foul play.

Moilanen said during the initial investigation into Boeckermann’s disappearance, investigators learned that she had been on medication that could cause disorientation if she did not take it regularly.

Rochester police responded to the call at about 1:54 p.m. June 28, Moilanen said, after the current drought made the vehicle’s bumper visible above the pond’s waterline.

RPD paged in a dive team to investigate, then the car was towed out of the water, where it had been “for quite some time,” Moilanen said.

There had been no activity from Boeckermann’s financial accounts since October of 2021, Moilanen added.

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(ABC 6 News) – The Rochester Police Department has recovered the body of a woman found inside a submerged vehicle.

According to RPD, officers responded to a report of a vehicle inside a retention pond this afternoon near the 4000 block of 19^th Street NW. Police later found the body inside the vehicle.

Police say the vehicle was likely there for an extended amount of time and became visible because of dry conditions and low water levels.

RPD is working with the Southern Minnesota Regional Medical Examiner’s Office to identify the woman and her cause of death.

The discovery was made in the same area a 64-year-old missing Rochester woman was last known to be. Jodi Boeckermann disappeared on Oct. 15, 2021. She was last known to be driving a Pontiac Grand Am.

A team of professional divers called ‘Adventures with Purpose’ were previously in Rochester searching for Boeckermann. The group travels the country looking for submerged vehicles and missing people. They’ve helped police solve a number of cases. The team was searching in the same area where the vehicle and body were found Wednesday, although it appears the pond where the body was discovered was one of the few not searched by the team.

The searches are documented on the ‘Adventures with Purpose’ YouTube channel, which has nearly three million subscribers.

This is a developing story; ABC 6 News will provide an update once additional information is made available.