SARTELL, Minn. — A body found in a car submerged 20 feet deep in the Mississippi River has been identified as a St. Cloud appliance repair business owner who disappeared some 60 years ago. Roy George Benn, age 69, had last been seen having breakfast in September 1967 at Kings Supper Club in Sartell. Police kept their investigation open until 1975 when Benn was declared legally dead. The car with the remains inside was found August 9, but the medical examination was difficult because of decomposition. DNA finally established the identification. There had been reports, never proven, that Benn, a widower, was carrying several hundred dollars cash when he disappeared. It was his habit, not unusual at the time, to pay cash for everything. His car, a blue 1963 Buick Electra sedan. was mostly buried in sediment when a fisherman’s walleye sonar picked up unusual signals. The vehicle was recovered the next day. This was at Little Rock Lake, which is backed up behind Champion n Dam at Sartell. The dam is five miles upriver from St. Cloud.
Hoisting from lake bottom. Benton County deputies coordinated the recovery on August 10.
Benn,.His home was in Sauk Center, about 60 miles away, where he owned rental property.