Longfellow man missing

Community gathers to support family

by Tesha M. Christensen

The Longfellow community has rallied around the family of a missing Longfellow resident.

On Sunday, June 6, a vigil was held at Wabun for the family of Josef Zurnieden, 42, who was last seen by his family at 6 a.m. on July 1. His wife, who typically talks to him multiple times a day, last spoke with him two hours later.

His white van was found on July 3 in the area of 26th Avenue and Marshall Street in Northeast Minneapolis. His wife, Katy, is worried that he may have fallen into the river. Katy told Fox News that her husband takes walks in beautiful spots to clear his mind.

She also said that his disappearance is very out of character. In 13 years, he’s never missed dinner.

On Tuesday, July 8, community members gathered near the river to search. The search is also being treated as a possible recovery effort, but police do not suspect foul play. Groups of 6-10 people searched on both sides of the Mississippi River from Marshal Terrace Park at 27^th Ave. down to the Stone Arch Bridge. They were instructed to wear pants, long sleeves and sturdy footwear, and to bring along rope and life jackets. Bug repellant and water were provided by organizers.

“The Zurnieden family needs your help to bring Josef home! Thank you for the support, prayers, words of strength and comfort that you have provided to Katy, Grace and Veronica Zurnieden,” wrote Ruediger Held in a post on E-democracy.org.

Zurnieden is 6 feet tall, weighs 165 pounds and has dark receding hair. He has a rose tattoo on his arm.

Anyone with any information about this case is asked to send a text to 847 411 (tip 411), enter MPD and the tip or call the tipline at 612-692-TIPS (8477). All texts are anonymous.

Printed in the August 2014 edition of the Longfellow/Nokomis Messenger.