{"id":1207,"date":"2026-03-09T13:32:36","date_gmt":"2026-03-09T17:32:36","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/inhishands\/?p=1207"},"modified":"2026-03-09T13:32:36","modified_gmt":"2026-03-09T17:32:36","slug":"police-officer-father-of-two-dies-within-24-hours-of-brain-infection","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/inhishands\/2026\/03\/police-officer-father-of-two-dies-within-24-hours-of-brain-infection\/","title":{"rendered":"Police Officer, Father of Two, Dies Within 24 Hours of Brain Infection"},"content":{"rendered":"
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East Range Police Department<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

A Minnesota police office has died 24 hours after receiving a diagnosis of a brain infection. Officer Cody Siebert, 33, worked for the Babbit Police department where he began the K9 program in 2023 before joining the East Range Police Department in Hoyt Lakes and Aurora. He also served as the\u00a0resident K-9 officer in the Mesabi East School District. He met his partner Karen Blais in 2022.<\/p>\n

Prior to his death, Siebert had awakened with a severe headache that required hospitalization. Doctors at the hospital determined that a nasal infection had spread to Siebert\u2019s brain. Within 24 hours, Siebert passed away on February 27 from the infection. He left behind Blais and their two sons: Reese, 2, and Bayne, 1.<\/p>\n

The East Range PD announced Siebert\u2019s passing on its Facebook<\/a>. \u201cIt is with an extremely heavy heart we have to post this,\u201d the department wrote, calling his passing \u201cunexpected for everyone.\u201d It described Siebert as having a \u201chappy-go lucky personality.\u201d \u201cIt was best said that if you couldn’t get along with Cody, it was your fault,\u201d said the Department, acknowledging Siebert\u2019s contribution in starting the K9 department in Babbitt. \u201cThe hole left by Sgt Siebert’s passing will be impossible to fill,\u201d the department concluded. Siebert\u2019s patrol car was parked outside the police station. It was decorated with a blue ribbon and the words \u201cIn memory 119.\u201d<\/p>\n

Mesabi East also paid tribute to Siebert on Facebook. \u201cCody had a remarkable gift \u2014 he saw the potential in every student. He believed in kids, even when they struggled to believe in themselves. He admired the hearts of our staff and never hesitated to show his appreciation for the work they do each day,\u201d the school wrote<\/a>. \u201cHis enthusiasm was contagious, and forming a connection with him was effortless. He made people feel seen, valued, and safe.\u201d<\/p>\n

A GoFundMe<\/a> has been started for Siebert\u2019s family. \u201c\u200bAs Karen and the boys begin to navigate a future that looks very different than the one they imagined, we are reaching out to the community Cody loved so much. We want to ensure that as they adventure through life without him, they feel the same support and protection that Cody provided to others every day,\u201d wrote the fundraisers. To date, the fund has reached over $125,000 of its $140,000 goal.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

A Minnesota police office has died 24 hours after receiving a diagnosis of a brain infection. Officer Cody Siebert, 33, worked for the Babbit Police department where he began the K9 program in 2023 before joining the East Range Police Department in Hoyt Lakes and Aurora. He also served as the\u00a0resident K-9 officer in the…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":516,"featured_media":1210,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fbia_status":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1207","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"yoast_head":"\nPolice Officer, Father of Two, Dies Within 24 Hours of Brain Infection<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Minnesota police officer Cody Siebert, 33, dies just 24 hours after brain infection diagnosis, leaving behind partner and two young sons.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/inhishands\/2026\/03\/police-officer-father-of-two-dies-within-24-hours-of-brain-infection\/\" \/>\n<meta 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