65° and Moderate rain
MINNEAPOLIMEDIA NEWS | Hopkins Community Gathers to Remember Mother, Daughter and Grandmother Killed in Domestic Violence
HOPKINS, MN (August 18, 2026) More than 200 people gathered Monday evening in Downtown Park in Hopkins to remember a mother, her young daughter and a grandmother killed in a series of connected domestic-violence attacks last week.
The candlelight vigil honored 41-year-old Kristen Brown, her 7-year-old daughter, Evie Brown, and 78-year-old Alice Brown.
Community members filled the park with candles, flowers, photographs and personal memories of the three victims. The gathering gave relatives, friends, daycare families and other Hopkins residents a place to grieve collectively after violence struck a home that had also served as a trusted childcare setting.
Kristen Brown operated Brown Bear Childcare from her home in the 200 block of Tyler Avenue North. Families remembered her as a dedicated caregiver whose work made the house an important part of the surrounding community.
Hopkins police were called to the home shortly after 9 a.m. Wednesday, August 12, after receiving a report of a stabbing. Officers found Kristen, Evie and Nathan Brown dead inside.
Six other children were at the daycare when the violence occurred. Authorities safely removed them from the house and reunited them with their families.
Investigators believe Nathan Brown killed his wife and daughter before dying from a self-inflicted gunshot wound.
Later that day, Burnsville police found Alice Brown fatally stabbed inside a home near Maple Island Road and Joplin Avenue. Authorities subsequently connected her death to the killings in Hopkins.
Police have said Nathan Brown killed his mother in Burnsville before traveling to Hopkins, where he killed his wife and daughter and then took his own life.
The Monday vigil was held from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. at Downtown Park. Candles were provided to attendees, and speakers shared memories of the family and the effect of the deaths on children, parents and neighbors.
The gathering focused on Kristen, Evie and Alice as people whose lives reached far beyond the circumstances of their deaths.
For Hopkins, the vigil also represented an effort to support families whose children attended Brown Bear Childcare and residents struggling to understand how an ordinary neighborhood home became the scene of such extensive violence.
The investigation has been described as domestic in nature. Authorities have said there is no continuing threat to the public.
Anyone experiencing domestic violence or concerned about another person can contact the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-SAFE or text START to 88788. In an immediate emergency, call 911.
STAY CONNECTED TO MINNEAPOLIMEDIA
Local stories matter. Subscribe free to MinneapoliMedia and receive independent news, community reporting and important updates from Minneapolis, the North Metro and communities across Minnesota.
SUBSCRIBE FREE: https://minneapolimedia.town.news/subscribe
MinneapoliMedia | Community. Culture. Civic Life
