Community Unites To Search For Missing Isanti Woman Amanda Vangrinsven
Update (Aug. 10): Authorities believe they have found the body of Amanda Vangrinsven, the Isanti woman who has been missing since last week.
MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) - Search teams endured long hours sifting through woods and grass hoping to find anything that would lead them to 32-year-old Amanda Vangrinsvenn.
Investigators say Vangrinsven was last seen Thursday at the Isanti VFW. She did not show up for work on Friday. She is 5-foot-3 and was last seen wearing a blue Twins shirt and jean shorts.
Over the weekend, dozens of volunteers searched for Vangrinsven and any clues that might lead to her whereabouts. Volunteers searched hundreds of acres of land with the help of the DNR and several landowners.
"We are grid searching several areas that have been known," said Nathan Kadlec, a volunteer leading the search effort.
According to police, Vangrinsven left her workplace at the Isanti VFW with somebody on Thursday. The two went out to Dugout Bar in Bethel.
Investigators say they were told Vangrinsven was dropped back off at the VFW on Thursday evening. She did not show up for work on Friday, but her vehicle was still parked outside of the establishment. No information has been released on the person who was with Vangrinsven before she disappeared. That individual is still under investigation.
Police say her cellphone is turned off, but evidence shows her last known location was in southwestern Isanti County.
On Tuesday, more search volunteers will meet at the VFW to continue their efforts. Volunteers say they won't stop until they can bring Vangrinsven home.
"We're looking for anything and everything. Any signs, footprints that don't match in the middle of the woods that no one lives," said Kadlec.
With hundreds of acres left to search, additional volunteers are needed. Donations of food and drinks are also accepted.
"Amanda is the kind of person that if somebody in the city or northern Minnesota went missing, she would be there in a heartbeat," said Kadlec.
Anyone with any information on the whereabouts of Vangrinsven is asked to call the Isanti Police Department at 763-444-4761. A GoFundMe has also been set up for Vangrinsven by Isanti community members.
