Adam Thorpe, a 39-year-old White/Caucasian male, traveled from his home in Maple Grove to the Bemidji, Minnesota area in late January 2019. Concern arose when his family was unable to contact him for several days, prompting them to report him missing on February 4th. They informed authorities that he was traveling with another individual, Jason J. McDonough, 41, and provided a description of their vehicle.
Later that evening, deputies located the vehicle at a casino east of Bemidji.
The investigation into the vehicle led them to a residence in Eckles Township, just northwest of Bemidji. On February 5th, at this location, investigators made a grim discovery: the remains of two individuals in a fire pit. Preliminary identification confirmed one set of remains belonged to Adam Thorpe.
The investigation revealed that Thorpe and McDonough had been lured to the home of Darren Lloyd Stebe, then 44. The motive for the crime was determined to be robbery. When McDonough refused to give Stebe money, Stebe shot and killed both him and Thorpe. Following the murders, he attempted to dispose of their bodies by burning them in a fire pit on his property.
Darren Lloyd Stebe was arrested and charged with the murders. Two other individuals were also implicated in the crime. Kristi Trisco, Stebe's girlfriend, and Daniel Linde, an associate, were arrested for their roles in the events. Trisco later admitted to assisting Stebe in spending approximately $5,000 stolen from the victims and using one of their vehicles. Both Trisco and Linde eventually pleaded guilty for their involvement. Stebe himself pleaded guilty to two counts of first-degree murder and received two concurrent life sentences.
