On Saturday, October 29, 2011 at approximately 4:30 pm, the Yellow Medicine County Sheriff’s Office was called by a rural Granite Falls resident who had been in the woods near his home in Stony Run Township. The caller said that he had found what he believed to be skeletal remains of a human body. The area is located approximately 5 miles northwest of Granite Falls on US Highway 212 within a wildlife management area. Deputies along with the MN Bureau of Criminal Apprehension responded to the scene and confirmed the remains were human. Law Enforcement personnel searched the area and collected the remains for identification and autopsy.

The remains were transported to the Midwest Medical Examiner in Ramsey, MN. On November 1, 2011 the Medical Examiner’s office was able to confirm with dental records that the identity of the remains are Eric Santiago Martinez Solorzano.

Eric was reported missing on April 2, 2011. He had gotten out of a vehicle after an argument with his brother while returning to Granite Falls from Montevideo. An extensive search of the area was completed by law enforcement and fire department volunteers, but because of high flood waters and fast moving current, searchers were unable to find him. The area that Eric was found has only been out of water for the past month.



The investigation remains open pending final autopsy results.