Body of missing Somali woman found in river

The body of a missing Somali woman surfaced in the Mississippi River on Monday, authorities said.

Sudi Bashir Abdi, 26, went missing from her family’s apartment in the Riverside high rises on the night of May 8. Several hours later, Minneapolis Police received a call from a man on the Washington Avenue Bridge, who reported a woman diving into the river.

Using sonar-enabled boats and other high-tech equipment, authorities searched in vain for several days. Family and friends also have been helping the search along the shoreline. A pair of shoes thought to belong to her was discovered near the river.

At about 3 p.m. Monday, authorities spotted a body that surfaced near the St. Paul railroad bridge in the 800 block of W. Water Street.

Autopsy results show that Abdi died of freshwater drowning, the Ramsey County medical examiner revealed Wednesday.

A spokeswoman for the Hennepin County Sheriff’s Office said no foul play is suspected at this time.

Abdi was an ambitious medical student at Hofstra University in New York. She had just recently arrived in Minneapolis. Family and friends say she was stressed with school.

Share your views on this story in our “Global/Local forum”:http://www.tcdailyplanet.net/forum/65.