Tragic Murder-Suicide Revealed in Minnesota Family
Newly released documents illustrate the troubled relationship of a Minnesota couple involved in a startling murder-suicide on Wednesday. Nathan Brown, 41, fatally stabbed his wife, Kristen Brown, also 41, and their 7-year-old daughter, Evie, using a screwdriver right as their parents were dropping off their children at a daycare in Hopkins.
According to reports, just before 9 a.m., Kristen reached out to a friend, expressing concerns about her troubled marriage and mentioned plans to close her brown bear nursery by August 27. This was, perhaps, indicative of the underlying issues they were facing.
The daycare, which operated from their home owned by Nathan, was where the horrifying incident unfolded. Around twenty minutes after Kristen’s text about her husband’s concerning behavior, a parent arrived and witnessed the attack, as confirmed by Hopkins Police Chief Brent Johnson.
Witnesses reported hearing the screams of children and rushed into the house, only to find Nathan attacking Kristen and Evie. In a panic, they grabbed their own child and two others before calling for help.
By the time law enforcement arrived, Nathan had taken his own life, found upstairs with a gunshot wound to his head. The other six children present were safely removed and reunited with their families.
Later that day, reports came in that Nathan had also killed his 78-year-old mother, Alice Brown, at her home in Burnsville.
It seems that Nathan was living with his mother at the time of these tragic events. While Chief Johnson mentioned hopes to uncover a specific motive for the attacks, he stated that no clear reasons have yet emerged.
“This is an incredibly tragic situation for Hopkins and any community,” he noted. “All the victims were valued members of the community. Losing lives is always difficult, but it hits especially hard when it involves children.”
Kristen was passionate about working with children, wanting to build a career in childcare after having her daughter. Back in 2019, she reflected on wanting to help children grow into happy, intelligent individuals on her social media.
