Minnesota Man Kills Wife, Daughter at Daycare in Murder-Suicide
A 41-year-old Minnesota man killed his wife and their 7-year-old daughter at the home daycare the couple operated in Hopkins, a Minneapolis suburb, before taking his own life, police said Wednesday. Authorities believe the man also killed his 78-year-old mother at her home in nearby Burnsville prior to the daycare attack.
Police were called shortly after 9 a.m. after a parent dropping off a child at Brown Bear Childcare witnessed the attack in progress and alerted authorities, according to AP News. Officers arriving at the home at 236 Tyler Avenue North found the woman and girl fatally stabbed in the basement, and the man dead from a self-inflicted gunshot wound on an upper floor.
Victims Identified
A close relative, Kelly Jo Simons, confirmed the identities of all four victims on Thursday, according to The Minnesota Star Tribune. The perpetrator was Nathan Matthew Brown, 41. His victims were his wife, Kristen Ann Brown, 41; their daughter, Evie Ann Brown, 7; and his mother, Alice Anne Brown, 78.
Police initially described the couple as husband and wife but later said their exact marital status at the time of the incident was unclear. Nathan Brown was believed to be living at the Burnsville home with his mother at the time of the killings.
Children Present at Daycare
Six other children were at the daycare when the attack occurred. All were physically unharmed and reunited with their families, though authorities acknowledged the emotional toll of the event.
“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 said at a news conference, as reported by MPR News.
Johnson described the children as “very, very young” — likely age 5 or younger — and said it was unclear whether any witnessed the attack.
“This is a tragic day and horrific scene for little children to witness, if they did witness this,” he added.
Burnsville Connection
Burnsville police responded at approximately 12:23 p.m. after a family member discovered Alice Brown’s body at her home near Maple Island Road and Joplin Avenue South, according to FOX 9 Minneapolis-St. Paul. Investigators confirmed the two incidents were linked, with the 78-year-old woman identified as a close relative of the suspect.
Authorities said it would take time to determine the exact timeline between the killings in Hopkins and Burnsville, which are approximately 20 miles apart.
No Prior Warning Signs
Court records show Nathan Brown had no convictions in Minnesota for anything more serious than drunken driving, according to CBS News Minnesota. There was no history of police calls to the Hopkins address and no prior contact with the suspect.
Brown Bear Childcare had been licensed by the state since February 2019 with a capacity of 10 children. It was found in compliance during state visits in 2023, 2024, and 2025, with its license last renewed on January 1, 2026.
Police had not identified a clear motive as of the latest reporting. No note was left by the perpetrator, and search warrants were executed at both addresses in hopes of collecting evidence.
Community Response
Hopkins Mayor Patrick Hanlon said the city has “shed a lot of tears” over the incident and announced plans for a vigil, as reported by USA Today.
“It’s tough to put into words what this loss is for our community: losing a mother, losing a young child, and the children that potentially witnessed what they saw,” Hanlon said.
Burnsville Police Chief Matt Smith urged residents to support one another: “When tragedies like these happen, they affect entire communities. I ask we focus on our care and concern for each other.”
U.S. Senator Amy Klobuchar, a former prosecutor who worked on domestic violence cases, highlighted the need to examine warning signs in such situations, according to FOX 9.
“What are the signs ahead going into this? What’s the past with this man in apparently what is a situation where he violently attacked his own wife and child?” Klobuchar said. “Those kinds of situations with domestic violence we’ve tragically seen before. This was the ultimate tragedy.”
Area daycare operators have offered to take in the six children from Brown Bear Childcare for free while their families search for alternative arrangements. Mental health workers and chaplains have been made available to help families process the event.
Domestic Violence Concerns
Klobuchar’s remarks underscore a broader concern among advocates and officials about the warning signs that may precede domestic violence tragedies. Police said there had been no prior contact with the suspect and no history of domestic violence calls to either address, raising questions about how such incidents can occur without visible red flags.
Neighbor Amanda Marx, who lives across the street from the daycare, captured the shock felt throughout the community: “I’m just trying to figure out how to explain to my 7-year-old why there’s crime scene tape on our deck.”
Hopkins Police Chief Johnson said killings are a “rarity” in the city of approximately 19,000 residents and that his officers were deeply affected by the scene.
“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,” Johnson said.
What’s Next
The investigation remains ongoing as authorities work to establish a timeline and determine a motive. The medical examiner will release the official cause of death for all four victims. Hopkins plans to hold a community vigil to remember the mother and daughter killed, and support services remain available for the families of the children who were present during the attack.
If you or someone you know is in crisis, call or text 988 to reach the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline. For domestic violence support, call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-7233.