Wisconsin Rapids Man Found Not Guilty at Trial for Hiding a Body

Tuesday, July 15th, 2025 -- 12:00 PM

(Heather Poltrock, WSAW) A 44-year-old Wisconsin Rapids man was found not guilty by a jury Friday after he was initially charged with hiding the body of a man who overdosed.

According to Heather Poltrock with WSAW, Kenneth Harden was acquitted of hiding a corpse following a three-day trial. The body of 41-year-old Safandre Lindsey was found in a ditch in the town of Grant in November 2022.

According to court documents, the body was covered and wrapped in blankets and a sleeping bag. Lindsey was from the Chicago area. The Sheriff’s Office and Medical Examiner’s Office immediately said the death was suspicious.

An autopsy was performed by the University of Wisconsin-Madison, Department of Pathology. It showed Lindsey died of meth and fentanyl toxicity. At the time of Lindsey’s discovery, a piece of latex glove was found at the scene.

Authorities said DNA in the glove matched Orlando Hughes, who was also charged with hiding a corpse and was sentenced in July last year. Court documents, based on witness statements, said Harden refused to take Lindsey to the hospital.

He was accused of driving to the scene where Lindsey’s body was located. The body was found near 110th Street North, south of Washington Avenue. That location is north of County Highway FF and south of Highway 54.

The Sheriff’s Office was assisted at the scene by the Town of Grant, Grand Rapids Fire Department, Portage County Medical Examiner, and the Wisconsin State Patrol-Traffic Reconstruction Unit.

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