Three Children and Mother Found Dead in Minnesota Lake in Triple-Murder Suicide

The bodies of three children and a woman believed to be their mother were found Friday evening in Vadnais Lake in Minnesota following an hours long search and rescue operation.

The body of the children’s father was found at about 10:30 a.m. Friday morning at a mobile home park from an apparent suicide in Maplewood, Minnesota, just outside Minneapolis. Police soon determined that the woman left the mobile home with their children and a search began.

According to Maplewood Police Lt. Joe Steiner, the woman’s car was found near the lake and the children’s shoes near the shore. The children were all under the age of six, two boys and a girl.

In a press conference Saturday, the Ramsey County Sheriff’s Office announced said the body of the first child was found at about 7:30 Friday evening. The second child’s body was found around midnight. The bodies of the third child and mother were found Saturday morning after a pause for the night.

The bodies were taken to the county’s medical examiner to determine the exact causes of death.