Hopkins daycare deaths, Burnsville homicide involved the same family, authorities say
HOPKINS, Minn. (FOX 9) - Authorities released details on the Hopkins daycare incident that left two adults and a 7-year-old girl dead and the Burnsville homicide that left a 78-year-old woman dead, after determining that the two incidents are connected.
READ MORE: Hopkins daycare deaths: What we know so far
Hopkins daycare murder-suicide connected to Burnsville homicide
What they're saying:
The Hopkins and Burnsville police chiefs addressed the connection between the daycare murder-suicide and the Burnsville fatal stabbing.
Hopkins Police Chief Johnson said a 41-year-old woman and a 7-year-old girl were found dead with stab wounds inside the daycare, while a 41-year-old man was found with a self-inflicted gunshot wound.
Authorities say the suspect was the father of the child who was killed, and the woman was the child's mother. The parents were married, but police say they did not know the exact state of their marriage at the time of the incident.
Hopkins police say a family dropping off their children at the daycare called police after witnessing the incident. Police used this information to confirm the suspect is now dead.
There were six other children present in the daycare at the time of the incident. Chief Johnson said no other children were harmed, and police were able to safely remove the children from the daycare and reunite them with their families.
READ MORE; 3 adults, 1 child dead in incident at in-home daycare in Hopkins, Minnesota
Burnsville Police Chief Smith said the 78-year-old woman was found dead inside a Burnsville home, was a "close family relative" of the suspect in the Hopkins incident, and that the suspect had recently lived in the home where the woman was found dead.
Burnsville police say a family member called police after finding the woman dead inside the home.
Burnsville, Hopkins homicides
The backstory:
Hopkins Police Chief Brent Johnson said officers responded to a report of a stabbing shortly after 9 a.m. at Brown Bear Daycare on the 200 block of Tyler Avenue North. Upon arrival, police found a man, woman and child dead in the home.
READ MORE: Burnsville homicide connected to Hopkins daycare deaths, police say
The Burnsville Police Department responded at about 12:23 p.m. to a residence in the area of Maple Island Road and Joplin Avenue on a report of a stabbing. When officers arrived, they located an adult female who was dead inside the residence. The incident is being investigated as a homicide.
There is no indication of any threat to the public and the investigation is active and ongoing.
The Source: This story uses information from the Burnsville and Hopkins Police Departments.