Minneapolis man found dead in farm ditch, suspect now charged with murder: police

A Minneapolis man was beaten to death with a shovel and his body was found in a farm ditch earlier this year. Now, police say a suspect has been arrested and charged in connection to his murder.

According to the Hennepin County Attorney’s office, 40-year-old Ivan Contreras-Sanchez was charged with second-degree intentional murder after the “savage beating” of 39-year-old Manuel Mandujano on March 29.

Authorities said family members of Mandujano reported him missing in April. Relatives told investigators that people at a homeless camp told them Mandujano got into a fight with another man and he was hit over the head with a shovel, which killed him.

Police said his body was found a month after his killing in a farm ditch about 30 miles south of Minneapolis.

Officials said they found an electronic device near where they found Mandujano’s body and they traced its user email back to Contreras-Sanchez.

The victim was killed in a north Minneapolis home, according to authorities. A woman was renting the house at the time and said she also heard the victim died there while she was away. When talking to detectives, the woman said the victim was beaten by "Chilango," which was confirmed to be Contreras-Sanchez’s nickname.

On Nov. 2, police arrested Contreras-Sanchez after he confirmed his email address with authorities.

Investigators interviewed Contreras-Sanchez and he initially denied any involvement in Mandujano’s death, officials said. However, he later admitted to moving the body.

Contreras-Sanchez also provided videos to the police, which showed the severely injured victim, authorities said. One of the videos showed Contreras-Sanchez talking with Mandujano about why he had been beaten, officials said.