- Nathan Brown has been identified as the suspect in a murder-suicide at Brown Bear Daycare in Hopkins, where he stabbed his wife, Kristen Brown, and their daughter, Evie, with a screwdriver before taking his own life.
- Witnesses reported that Nathan Brown was seen stabbing his wife and daughter with a screwdriver, prompting a call to the police.
- Police discovered the victims on the bottom floor of the daycare, while Nathan Brown was found dead upstairs from a self-inflicted gunshot wound.
- Investigators suspect that Nathan Brown also killed a 78-year-old relative in Burnsville before the incident at the daycare.
- The investigation into the incident is ongoing, with authorities having identified both the victims and the suspect.
- About two weeks prior to the incident, a parent received a notice from the daycare owner indicating plans to close due to relationship troubles with her husband.
- The daycare was reportedly operating with six other children present during the attack, none of whom were physically harmed.
Nathan Brown, 41, is accused of fatally stabbing his wife Kristen and their daughter Evie with a screwdriver at Brown Bear Daycare in Hopkins, Minnesota, on Wednesday. The attack occurred while six other children were present, none of whom were injured.12345
Witnesses reported hearing children scream before a parent entered the daycare and saw Brown attacking his family. Authorities later found Brown dead from a self-inflicted gunshot wound in an upstairs closet, with a shotgun in his hand.
Prior to the incident, Kristen Brown had informed families that she planned to close the daycare due to "relationship issues" with her husband. Investigators believe the murder-suicide may be linked to the earlier killing of a 78-year-old woman, a relative of Nathan Brown, in Burnsville.
According to Violence Free Minnesota, there have been at least 231 intimate partner violence-related homicide-suicides in the state since 1989, with the majority of perpetrators being men. Engel, a representative from the organization, noted that attempts to leave a relationship are often associated with higher rates of lethality.
The investigation is ongoing, and authorities have not publicly identified a motive for the killings. A handwritten note was found during the search of the home, but its contents have not been disclosed.
“The daycare operator had sent a newsletter to families about closing due to 'relationship issues with husband Nathan' about two weeks prior. Violence Free Minnesota has tracked 231 intimate partner homicide-suicides in the state since 1989, with 229 perpetrators being men.”
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