Missing St. Paul Man Found Dead in Lake Superior, Duluth Man Charged
The Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension and other law enforcement agencies are investigating a gruesome discovery in Lake Superior.
Richard Anthony Balsimo aged 34 was last seen on June 20th in St. Paul, dive teams found his dismembered remains in 5-gallon buckets located in Lake Superior off the shore near Grand Portage on July 15th and 16th, The Midwest Medical Examiner’s Office said Balsimo died "of homicidal violence."
On July 16th The Cook County Attorney’s Office charged Robert Thomas West of Duluth with one count Aiding an Offender and one count Interference with a Dead Body for his role in the incident. Officials say that additional charges are anticipated.
Authorities say that this is an ongoing investigation, but they do not believe that there is a public safety threat. According to the criminal complaint, a witness who gave West a boat ride, lead authorities to the remains after West dumped two 5-gallon buckets and a tote into Lake Superior. West admitted to officers that he hatched the plan for disposing Balsimo's body in Lake Superior and that he helped dismember him, according to the complaint.
The Star Tribune is reporting that Balsimo's family hired Duluth based private investigators Applied Professional Services, who had 5 investigators working the case in Wisconsin and Minnesota and were able to gather important information to assist law enforcement in the investigation.