It has now been seven weeks since Daryl Budenski – “Dice,” to his friends – was reported missing. Northfield Chief of Police Mark Elliot said
that his department continues its investigation, but at this point, they have very little to go on.
Budenski was reported missing on October 3rd, and Elliott said the last contact they can identify was on October 1st. Because he lived alone, and because he was reported missing 48 hours after he was last seen, the Northfield Police Department has never had much to work with.
Budenski is classified as an endangered missing person. His brother, who spent a month-long visit with him in September, has told investigators that he had only intended to stay with Daryl for a week, but had recognized what he believed to be early signs of dementia. Budenski’s brother spent the extra time in Northfield arranging for visits to doctors for evaluation. The assumption is that Budenski’s judgement is at least somewhat impaired.
Elliott said they have tried to trace his usual routines, but there isn’t much to find. He regularly rode a bicycle, which has been found in his garage. Talking with friends of his, Elliott said they have determined that he made very occasional trips to a casino, but by-and-large stayed in Northfield.
The strongest lead on his whereabouts surfaced in the first week of the search, when a hat and a wallet belonging to Budenski was found near the Jefferson Parkway/Highway 246 roundabout. The surrounding area is a wetland and thick with prairie grass, so Elliott said, they brought in dogs to help with the search, and employed both flying drones and underwater drones. The search turned up no other sign of Budenski.
Another hope was that something might turn up during harvest or deer hunting season, but Elliott said they have received no tips from either of those avenues.
“This is a time of year in Minnesota when people are outside a lot, getting the yards ready for winter, or the hunters are out and the farmers as well. We haven’t received any information from them, so obviously our concern, if something bad happened or if there was foul play, or if he walked off and became disoriented, we just haven’t received any tips on that.”
Rumors of foul play have followed the disappearance. Some wonder if Budenski may have become confused and gotten into a car with someone. Elliott said because they have nothing to go on, they are unable to rule out any possibilities. His department, he said, has thoroughly investigated all reasonable leads, so now they are turning to what he called the “uncommon” parts of the case.
Meanwhile, Budenski’s friends and family continue their own searches. A Facebook page called Search for Daryl Budenski has been up for a few weeks and remains very active. Rallies have been held the past two Saturdays at Bridge Square to bring attention and awareness to the situation, and private searches continue to be organized. Elliott said his department is grateful for the help in this search but did ask that those searching be respectful of trespassing ordinances and of private property. He asked everyone to be safe and careful.
Finally, he asked anyone with any possible information on Budenski or his disappearance, no matter if it might seem insignificant, to call the police department at 507-645-4477
Jeff Johnson’s full conversation with Northfield Police Chief Mark Elliott can be heard here
Northfield makes slight population gain in census results
The United States Census Bureau has finally released the results of the 2020 Census. The numbers show that
Northfield has grown over the last ten years, but at a slower pace than the state as a whole.
According to the United States Census Bureau the population of Northfield in 2020 was 20,790, just under 4% more than the 20,007 that was registered in the 2010 census. Of those, 19,529 Northfielders live in Rice County, and 1,261 live in Dakota County.
Reports elsewhere that Northfield lost population are not factually correct.
The census breakdown of Northfield’s population shows that the city is becoming slightly more diverse. 86.7% of Northfield’s citizens identify as white, 8.9% are Hispanic or Latino, 3.9% are of Asian descent, 2.8% are multi-racial, 2% identify as Black or African American, and .3% are Native American. The non-white population has grown slightly, while the white population has declined by about 2%.
Northfield has been shown to be an aging community, as well, with 14.8% of its citizens 65 years of age or older, compared to 12% in 2010.
The breakdown by sex has remained largely the same, with 52.8% identifying as female. In 2010 the percentage was 52.6%.
The city of Faribault grew by 1,100 people to 24,453. Lonsdale added 987 to its population and now stands at 4,661. The City of Dundas added 345 people its population is 1,712. Farmington is now at 23,632, a gain of 2,546. The City of Randolph grew by thirty people to 466, Dennison added eleven people and now stands at 223. Nerstrand’s population declined by 22 and is down to 273.
The population of Rice County grew by 4% to 67, 097. Dakota County grew by just over 10% and now boasts a population of 439,882.
Overall, the State of Minnesota grew by just under 8% to 5, 706, 494.
Rich Larson is the KYMN News Director. Contact him at rich@kymnnews.net
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