Suspect & Victims Identified In Bemidji Double Homicide

A suspect and two victims have been identified in the double homicide that was discovered February 5th in the Eckles Township, northwest of Bemidji. The Beltrami County Sheriff’s Office has forwarded the case to the Beltrami County Attorney’s Office for review.

A suspect, Darren L. Stebe, 44, of Bemidji, was arrested on February 5, 2019 for violations related to his MN Department of Corrections Probation. Stebe is expected to be arraigned on charges relating to causing the death of Adam P. Thorpe, 39, of Maple Grove and Jason J. McDonough, 41, whose last known address was Superior, WI.

Investigators have been working to gather evidence, interview potential suspects and witnesses, and establish a motive and timeline of events leading up to the discovery of the human remains at a home located in the 6500 block of Highway 89 NW in Eckles Township.

Investigators from the Beltrami County Sheriff’s Office and the MN Bureau of Criminal Apprehension along with MN BCA Crime Scene Team executed a search warrant on February 5, 2019 and recovered the remains of two individuals from a fire pit located on the property. The remains were sent to the Ramsey County Medical Examiner’s Office for autopsy and positive identification. One of the remains has been preliminarily identified as belonging to Thorpe. Further testing is needed to confirm the identity of the other remains, but they are believed to be those of McDonough.

No other information can be released at this time until the case is reviewed and formal charges are filed by the Beltrami County Attorney’s Office.