A 41-year-old father who stabbed his partner and their 7-year-old daughter inside a Minnesota home daycare before taking his own life is also suspected of killing a 78-year-old female relative, according to police.
Six other children who were inside the home at the time of the murders were not injured and have all been reunited with their parents, Hopkins Police Chief Brent Johnson said during a press conference.
They were all "very, very young" children, Johnson said.
A parent arrived to drop a child off at Brown Bear Childcare when the attack is believed to have begun unfolding; they then alerted the police, according to Johnson.
“There’s no worse scenario than this, where you drop off your child somewhere you think is safe, and you get that phone call,” Johnson said at a news conference.
Johnson said he didn’t know what the relationship between the two adults who owned the daycare was, but did believe the child who died was theirs.
The police chief declined to release the victims’ identities and didn’t elaborate on how they died.
Records show the daycare has been licensed by the state since 2019 and has a capacity of 10 children. It was found to be in compliance during visits in 2023, 2024 and 2025.
The home daycare was located in Hopkins, a small suburb about 10 miles southwest of Minneapolis.
Johnson said the scene was a “rarity” in Hopkins and that his officers were shaken by the killings after arriving at the home.
“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.
Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey acknowledged at the start of his 2027 budget address Wednesday morning that a "critical incident" had occurred in Hopkins.
"I know that our hearts and our prayers are with the people of Hopkins and any families that have been impacted," Frey said. "I have already touched base directly with Mayor Hanlon, offered any assistance that we possibly can provide."
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