35-year-old man found dead in freezer inside northern Minnesota home

A 35-year-old man was found dead inside a chest freezer in the basement of a home in northern Minnesota earlier this week, officials confirmed.

The man was identified by the Midwest Medical Examiner’s Office as Brandon Lee Buschman, of Babbitt. No evidence of trauma or injury was found during the autopsy but toxicology reports are pending, Gilbert police said.

Buschman’s body was found in the home — located in the 300 block of Fourth Avenue North in Biwabik — on Monday after police received a report of a dead man in the residence, despite the home not being occupied since February, according to police.

The chest freezer is an older style that automatically locks when it is closed. The freezer is also unable to be unlocked or opened from the inside, police said.

The freezer wasn’t on at the time Buschman’s body was discovered.

Investigators believe Buschman’s death was an isolated incident and there is no threat to the public.

Anyone with information about this case is asked to contact the Gilbert Police Department at 218-748-2225.

The Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension, St. Louis County Sheriff’s Office and East Range Police Department are assisting in this case.