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MINNEAPOLIMEDIA NEWS | Four Family Members Dead in Hopkins and Burnsville Killings Linked by Police
Authorities say a 41-year-old man killed his wife, their 7-year-old daughter and a 78-year-old female relative before taking his own life. Six children who were inside a Hopkins home daycare during part of the violence were unharmed.
HOPKINS, MN (August 13, 2026) Four members of one family are dead following a series of killings in Hopkins and Burnsville that authorities are investigating as a connected triple murder-suicide.
Hopkins police were called shortly before 9 a.m. Wednesday to a residence in the 200 block of Tyler Avenue North that operated as Brown Bear Childcare, a licensed home daycare.
Officers found a 41-year-old woman and the couple’s 7-year-old daughter dead from apparent stab wounds. A 41-year-old man was found dead from what police described as an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound.
Police believe the man killed his wife and daughter before taking his own life.
A parent arriving to leave a child at the daycare witnessed part of the attack and called 911, Hopkins Police Chief Brent Johnson said. Six other children were inside the home at the time. Police said all six were unharmed and later reunited with their families.
Investigators subsequently connected the Hopkins deaths to another killing discovered in Burnsville.
Burnsville police responded at approximately 12:23 p.m. Wednesday to a residence near Maple Island Road and Joplin Avenue after a family member reported finding a woman dead inside the home. Officers found a 78-year-old woman who had suffered an apparent fatal stabbing.
Authorities said the woman was a close relative of the man found dead in Hopkins and that he had recently been living at the Burnsville residence. Investigators believe the Burnsville killing occurred before the violence at the Hopkins daycare, although police continue working to establish the full sequence of events.
The names of the four people had not been officially released as of the latest law-enforcement update. Authorities also had not identified a motive.
Both police departments said there were no outstanding suspects and no continuing threat to the public.
Brown Bear Childcare had been licensed since 2019. Publicly available regulatory information reviewed by news organizations showed that the daycare had passed recent compliance checks, and Hopkins police said the department had no record of previous calls or complaints involving the operation.
The presence of six other children during the attack has intensified the impact of the case on families, neighbors and emergency personnel. Johnson described the violence as an especially difficult scene for responding officers and the broader community.
The Hennepin County Attorney’s Office said it was working with Hopkins police and that its victim-services division was prepared to assist people affected by the killings.
Anyone experiencing domestic violence may contact Minnesota Day One at 1-866-223-1111 or the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-7233. People experiencing an emotional or mental-health crisis may call or text 988.
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