2 bodies found at a crime scene near Buffalo Ridge, according to Minnehaha County Sheriff's Office

Annie Todd, Sioux Falls Argus Leader
·2 min read

The bodies of two men were recovered from a camper Thursday afternoon near Buffalo Ridge, according to the Minnehaha County Sheriff's Office, which is investigating the incident as a crime scene.

Deputies and emergency responders arrived at the scene at about 11:45 a.m. off of Highway 38, Cpt. Josh Phillips said during police briefing Friday morning, after receiving a call for a wellbeing check when the men had not been heard from over the course of a few days.

Upon arrival, law enforcement found the bodies of the men, both in their mid-40s, outside and inside a camper, Phillips said. At least one of them was living in the camper.

A member of local law enforcement hands a paper bag to someone investigating inside a camper at a crime scene off Highway 38 on Thursday, August 18, 2022, outside of Sioux Falls.
A member of local law enforcement hands a paper bag to someone investigating inside a camper at a crime scene off Highway 38 on Thursday, August 18, 2022, outside of Sioux Falls.

The men were identified as Jason Michael Lucas, 45, of South Dakota and Iowa, and Jason Wayland Blunt, 46, of Iowa.

It was determined the men had been in a fight with one another and had sustained serious knife injuries, which they later died from, Phillips said.

It's unclear when the fight might have occurred, but Phillips said investigators believe it might have been the day before. Law enforcement is still investigating what led up to the fight.

Autopsies are pending, Phillips said.

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Phillips said he was unaware if drugs were involved.

"It's not like a drug riff or anything like that," he said.

Both were construction roofers and were thought to have known each other previously, Phillips said.

Officers left the scene at about 7 p.m., after having flown drones around the "substantial" crime scene.

The sheriff's office is asking for the public's help in determining what the two were doing in the week before their death.

"Whether they think it's a minute piece of information, anything can be very helpful," Phillips said.

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This article originally appeared on Sioux Falls Argus Leader: Two bodies recovered from crime scene near Buffalo Ridge