In Hopkins, Minnesota, a man tragically ended the lives of his wife and their 7-year-old daughter at their home-based daycare before taking his own life. Authorities indicated that prior to this, he may have also taken the life of a 78-year-old relative at her residence.
The 41-year-old man fatally shot himself after stabbing his family members at Brown Bear Childcare, a daycare located in their home, as stated by the police. During the incident, six other children present were unharmed physically. A parent immediately contacted the police upon witnessing the attack while dropping off a child in the basement of the home. “There’s no worse scenario than this, where you drop off your child somewhere you think is safe, and you get that phone call,” said Hopkins Police Chief Brent Johnson at a news conference. “This is a tragic day and horrific scene for little children to witness, if they did witness this,” he added further.
In the U.S., the national suicide and crisis lifeline is available by calling or texting 988. An online chat can also be accessed at 988lifeline.org.
More than three hours after the killings, Burnsville Chief Matt Smith reported that officers responded to a home located 20 miles away from Hopkins where they discovered the woman, believed to be a close family relative, who had been fatally stabbed. Investigators believe the two events are connected. The identities of those involved have not been disclosed, and no specific motive has been determined. Johnson noted there was no record of police calls to the Hopkins property previously.
Amanda Marx, a neighborhood nurse, disclosed that she wasn’t aware of any issues until she noticed police officers trying to enter the front door of the residence. Officers moved behind the house and later called for crime scene tape before several children were seen leaving, one carried by an officer.
The home, known for a distinctive mural of a tree-lined lake and moose on its garage, was called the “garage house” by Marx and her son. Despite living across the street, she never met the homeowners or knew they operated Brown Bear Childcare from there. Licensed since 2019, the daycare was compliant in inspections conducted in 2023, 2024, and 2025, with a capacity for ten children.
Johnson remarked on the rarity of such incidents in Hopkins and observed that the responding officers were deeply affected by the situation, noting, “I could see on the look on their faces that this was one of those ones that you’ll remember for your entire career, if not life.”