(ABC 6 News) – The Southern Minnesota Regional Medical Examiner’s Office has identified the decedent found in Haverhill Township as Len Reynolds, age 60.

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(ABC 6 News) – It was a typical day for one resident out walking their dog, until they stumbled on a chilling discovery.

According to the Olmsted County Sheriff’s Office the body had been out there for a while and exposure made it difficult to identify.

But now the body is believed to be a missing person that who went missing in March 2023.

ABC 6 News spoke with residents around town all day and many are puzzled it took this long to find the body given how many people frequent the area.

“It was just weird, just this morning my buddy told me about the dead body. I was like ‘no way, we are out there all the time.’ And he was like ‘yeah, they just found it.’ And I was like ‘my dogs didn’t find it?’ And he’s like ‘yeah, that is weird,'” said Kevin Van Den Hemel.

The full identity of the body found has yet to be released. But the Olmsted County Sheriff’s Office doesn’t suspect any foul play.

During a brief phone call with Patty Wetterling, the mother of Jacob Wetterling who was missing for nearly three decades, she said when you have a loved one missing, and you hear news like this all you can do is pray and hope to eventually get closure.

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(ABC 6 News) — The Olmsted County Sheriff’s Office is investigating after a body was found near the Gordan W. Yeager Wildlife Management Area and Silver Creek Road NE on Wednesday, April 10.

Around 1:30 p.m. a person was walking their dog in that area when they found what appeared to be a deceased person on the ground. According to the sheriff’s office, because of prolonged exposure to the elements, the condition of the body prevented them from making an identification.

Capt. Tim Parkin with the OCSO previously said on Thursday morning that there was no way to identify the age or gender of the deceased individual.

An updated statement from OCSO has revealed that the found body may be that of a person reported missing in March 2023.

Law enforcement does not believe there is any danger to the public, he added, and the body did not appear to have been moved.

The cause of death is under investigation, but no foul play is suspected.

The Southern Minnesota Regional Medical Examiner’s Office is helping with the case.