FARGO, N.D. (KFGO) – North Dakota Attorney General Drew Wrigley says some emails deleted after the death of late Attorney General Wayne Stenehjem that were thought to be lost forever have been retrieved.

What Wrigley believes are a “couple thousand” emails from Stenehjem’s personal phone that were linked to his state account were recently recovered by the Bureau of Criminal Investigation after an agent discovered that they were accessible using a digital program that was not available in the past.

Wrigley says the phone was initially examined at the request of Stenehjem’s family who asked whether photographs that he had taken could be recovered prior to his funeral two years ago. Wrigley says the BCI just recently determined that there was a back up “digital copy” of the phone’s contents.

According to Wrigley, it will take time to determine whether the emails will play any role in the investigation of former senate majority leader Ray Holmberg of Grand Forks, a close friend of Stenehjem.

Holmberg faces federal charges related to international travel where he’s accused of having sex with underage boys.

Stenehjem’s long-time administrative assistant and his deputy attorney general deleted his emails.