3 Dead, Including Child, in Suspected Murder-Suicide at Minnesota Daycare
Three people, including a 7-year-old girl, were found dead Wednesday morning inside an in-home daycare in Hopkins, Minnesota, in what police believe was a murder-suicide connected to a fourth death in a nearby suburb.
Hopkins Police Chief Brent Johnson said officers responded around 9 a.m. to a report of a domestic situation at Brown Bear Daycare, located in the 200 block of Tyler Avenue North. Inside, they found a 41-year-old man dead from an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound along with his 41-year-old wife and their 7-year-old daughter, both dead from apparent stab wounds. Investigators believe all three were members of the same family.
Six other children were inside the daycare at the time of the attack but were not harmed. Police said the children have since been reunited with their families. A parent arriving to drop off a child is believed to have discovered the scene and called 911, and investigators said that parent may have witnessed part of the attack.
"There's no worse scenario than this," Johnson said, according to Fox News, "where you drop off your child to somewhere you think is safe."
Burnsville Death Linked To Same Family
Hours after the Hopkins deaths, Burnsville police said they responded around 12:23 p.m. to a report of a stabbing and found a 78-year-old woman dead. Burnsville Police Chief Matt Smith said the suspect had been living at that residence, and investigators believe the two incidents are connected. None of the victims have been formally identified by police.
Authorities said no note was left behind and that the case appears to be isolated. The Hopkins Police Department said in a statement that there are no outstanding suspects and no ongoing threat to the public.
State licensing records show Brown Bear Daycare had been approved to care for up to 10 children since 2019 and had passed compliance inspections in 2023, 2024 and 2025 with no violations on file.
Prior Concerns Reported By A Friend
A friend of the female victim told Fox 9 that the woman had been planning to leave her spouse, who owned the home, and described a relationship that had included past problems, including possible abuse. Police have not confirmed those details as part of the official investigation.
Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey said he had reached out to Hopkins officials following the incident. Police departments in both cities said the investigation remains active.
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