A Minnesota man killed his wife and their 7-year-old daughter as young children gathered at a home daycare the couple owned before taking his own life, police said Wednesday. Some time prior to the attack, police believe he also killed a 78-year-old relative at her home.
Later, several young children emerged — one being carried by an officer. More than three hours after the killings, Burnsville Chief Matt Smith said officers were called to a home in his community, 20 miles (32 kilometers) from Hopkins, where they found a woman who had been fatally stabbed. Records show the daycare has been licensed by the state since 2019 and has a capacity of 10 children. It was found to be in compliance during visits in 2023, 2024, and 2025.
All six other children who were at Brown Bear Childcare were not physically harmed, authorities said. Another parent called police after witnessing the attack in the home’s basement while dropping off a child, Hopkins Police Chief Brent Johnson said. “This is a tragic day and horrific scene for little children to witness, if they did witness this,” Johnson later added. He said investigators believe the two tragedies are linked and that the man had been living at the home of the “close family relative. She said officers moved behind the house before reappearing and calling for crime scene tape.
