Marshall County (trfnews.i234.me) – Marshall County Sheriff Jason Boman has announced a major development in the decades-old investigation into the disappearance and presumed murder of Veronica Safranski.
Boman confirmed that in March 2025, he authorized the formation of a multi-agency task force to actively investigate the 1996 cold case. The task force includes members from the Marshall County Sheriff’s Office, Pine to Prairie Drug Task Force, Pennington County Sheriff’s Office, and the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension (BCA). The goal is to pool resources and expertise to finally bring resolution to the case.
As part of this renewed investigation, authorities say they discovered that Kevin Skjerven — long considered a person of interest in Safranski’s disappearance — was in possession of a firearm and ammunition. On July 30, 2025, investigators executed a large-scale search warrant at Skjerven’s rural Newfolden residence. He was arrested on charges of being a felon ineligible to possess ammunition and is currently being held in the Pennington County Jail pending Marshall County charges.
Safranski disappeared on October 26, 1996, after attending a costume party at Mick’s Bar in Warren, Minnesota. She was last seen dressed in a Native American costume believed to represent Pocahontas and reportedly left the bar with Skjerven in a black Dodge 4×4 pickup truck with Oregon plates. Her body has never been found.
Anyone with information regarding this case is urged to contact the Marshall County Sheriff’s Office at 218-745-4111.
I’m Chris Harper reporting for TRF News.