Missing Northfield-Area Woman Found Dead In Rochester Snow Pile

NORTHFIELD, MN — Twenty-two-year-old Northfield-area woman Mercedez Rocha was found dead in Rochester on Wednesday, according to a news release from Rochester Police Department.

Rocha's body was found in a snow bank near Gage elementary School, police said.

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The police department said that Rocha's body appeared to have been in the snow pile for "some time," and there was no immediate threat to the public.

According to police, there was no obvious trauma on the body that could clue in officials to the woman's cause of death, but an autopsy is being conducted.

The Rochester Police Department said Northfield police contacted them Jan. 30 to do a welfare check on Rocha, whose phone last pinged in the Rochester area. Officers searched for Rocha but didn't find her, officials said.

Rocha was declared missing Feb. 18 by the City of Northfield, and the city's police Department asked for the public's help in finding her.

RELATED: Northfield Police Seek Help Locating Missing Woman

Another Northfield resident, Daryl Budenski, went missing in October. He has not been found, despite community efforts and organized searches.

RELATED: Daryl Budenski Still Missing After Nearly 4 Months