Mummified Monkey Mystery In Minneapolis: New Theories Emerge

MINNEAPOLIS, MN — New theories have emerged on the story of the mummified monkey that was found in the old Dayton's building in Downtown Minneapolis. The monkey remains were discovered recently by a demolition worker in the seventh floor air duct of the historic building.

Adam Peterson submitted a photo of the monkey to the "Old Minneapolis" Facebook page, and the crews tasked with renovating the building confirmed its existence.

Several local residents have contributed theories on how the monkey ended up dead in a department store air duct.

Saint Paul native Gary Zumberge said his father, who worked as a customer service executive at Dayton's until he retired in 1987, told him once that staff were worried about a monkey from the store's pet shop that may have escaped.

"They looked for it and looked for it, and they heard rumors that people could hear this monkey running around in the duct work," Zumberge told Minnesota Public Radio. "So they started trying to put things out within the duct work."

"They knew it had been in the building, in the duct work. They had heard it," he added. "But then it just stopped."

Contributing a similar theory, Regan Murphy — the current mayor of Robbinsdale — says his dad may have been involved in how the monkey was let loose in the department store.

Commenters of the Old Minneapolis Facebook page gave their own takes:

Read more theories on the mummified monkey in the Old Minneapolis post below:

Image via Old Minneapolis, used with permission