Man dies in basement freezer while attempting to hide from police, Minnesota cops say

A 34-year-old man found dead inside a home’s freezer had entered it to hide from officers, Minnesota police said.

The man, identified by the Gilbert Police Department as Brandon Lee Buschman, was found dead June 26. Police revealed more information Friday, July 7, about why Buschman was in the freezer.

Buschman, who had an active warrant for his arrest, was seen by witnesses fleeing from the upstairs of a Biwabik home due to the possible presence of police, police said. The home had been abandoned since February.

He went into the basement and entered a freezer “on his own accord,” police said.

The freezer was not operating, police said, but it was unable to open from the inside.

“Investigators located a metal lawn ornament rod that was inserted from inside of the freezer towards the latching mechanism,” police said in a news release. “The rod was jammed between the gasket and manufactured edge, preventing the rod from being able to manipulate the latching mechanism from the inside.”

An autopsy revealed “no evidence of trauma or injury,” according to police. It is unclear how long Buschman was in the freezer before being discovered.

Investigators are trying to determine when Buschman was last seen alive.

“The reports from the individuals were very unclear to us as to exactly when it was that Buschman had fled,” Lt. Chelsea Trucano told the Duluth News Tribune. “We are continuing to work on some additional investigation to narrow if that means it was this year or last year and will provide that information at a later date once it is narrowed to a better timeline.”

Gilbert is about 200 miles north of Minneapolis.