A Minnesota man killed his wife and their 7-year-old daughter at a home daycare they owned in Hopkins before taking his own life, police said Wednesday, in a tragedy that investigators have linked to the killing of an elderly relative. According to U.S. Another parent dropping off a child witnessed the attack and immediately contacted law enforcement, according to the Hopkins Police Department.
Emergency responders arrived at the scene around 9 a.m. local time following reports of a stabbing at the brown two-story residential property, which operates under the name Brown Bear Childcare. Inside the building, authorities discovered three individuals dead. Police confirmed that six other young children present at the facility during the incident were safely evacuated and physically unharmed, and they have since been reunited with their families.
“There’s no worse scenario than this, where you drop off your child somewhere you think is safe, and you get that phone call,” Hopkins Police Chief Brent Johnson told reporters during a news conference covered by The Guardian. Chief Johnson added that there are no outstanding suspects and no ongoing threat to the public, classifying the event as a domestic-related homicide.
Linked Tragedies Span Multiple Minnesota Communities
More than three hours after the killings, law enforcement officials in Burnsville responded to a call roughly 20 miles away. According to U.S. Investigators believe the man was a close family relative to the victim and that the two tragedies are linked.
Authorities have not yet released the identities of any of the deceased victims. Chief Johnson noted that investigators are working to determine the timeline of events between the killings in Hopkins and Burnsville. Police records indicate there was no prior history of police calls to the Hopkins address.
Daycare Facility Background and Community Impact
State licensing records show that Brown Bear Childcare has been licensed by the state since 2019, holding a maximum capacity of 10 children. According to state compliance checks, the facility was found to be in compliance during visits in 2023, 2024, and 2025.
Local residents expressed shock over the violence in Hopkins, a suburb of roughly 19,000 residents located just west of Minneapolis. Amanda Marx, a neighbor who lives across the street from the daycare, told reporters that she and her family frequently referred to the location as the “garage house” due to a distinct mural of a tree-lined lake and a moose painted on the garage door. Local civic leaders, including Hopkins Mayor Patrick Hanlon and Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey, issued statements offering condolences and support to those impacted by the tragedy, emphasizing the tight-knit nature of the affected communities.
Official Response and Next Steps in the Investigation
The Hopkins Police Department continues to examine the motive behind the attacks. Chief Johnson emphasized that killings are a “rarity” in the suburb, noting that the initial crime scene left responding officers profoundly shaken. Authorities have urged anyone affected by the incident or dealing with personal distress to utilize available support networks, noting that the national suicide and crisis lifeline is reachable by calling or texting 988, with online chat options available at 988lifeline.org.
Investigators stated that further details, including the formal identification of the victims, will be released as the inquiry progresses.
Worth a look