Mom, 3 Kids Pulled From Vadnais Lake After Suspected Murder-Suicide
Vadnais Lake in Vadnais Heights on Friday, July 1, 2022. Photo from Ramsey County Sheriff’s Office.
VADNAIS HEIGHTS—The bodies of a woman and her three children have been recovered from Vadnais Lake after a suspected murder-suicide.
RCSO Undersheriff Mike Martin has confirmed that the two remaining bodies were recovered from the lake by 11 a.m. Saturday, and that one child was found Friday evening and another just after midnight.
Martin said the bodies were an adult female and a child and that they were being transported to the medical examiner’s office for autopsy.
According to initial law enforcement dispatch audio reviewed by MN CRIME, the woman’s husband reportedly died by suicide in Maplewood on Friday morning and she then threatened to kill herself and her children.
The woman’s vehicle was pinged and located in the park, where officers began their search.
A child was recovered from the water of the lake around 7:30 p.m. and a dive team was paged to respond. Officers had CPR underway on the child at the scene and said it was unclear how long the child had been in the water.
Authorities later confirmed the child died after being pulled from the water.
Officers were shutting down the surrounding park area and a State Patrol helicopter was assisting overhead as the search continued into the evening. A civilian search and rescue unit was also assisting officers.
“A horrible set of facts appears to be developing,” Ramsey County Sheriff Bob Fletcher said. “We’re treating this as a likely triple homicide,” Fletcher said, noting the vehicle, pairs of shoes and other items were found by searchers.
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According to several sources, the shooting referenced by dispatchers occurred Friday morning in Maplewood in the Rolling Hills Community mobile home park. Maplewood authorities have confirmed they responded there for a reported suicide and found an adult male dead from a gunshot wound.
It has still not yet been confirmed if the man’s fatal shooting was self-inflicted, pending an autopsy.
“At 10:30 this morning, Maplewood police responded to a report of a suicide in the 1300 block of Pearson,” Maplewood Police Lt. Joel Steiner said. “In relation to that investigation, Maplewood police responded to this location (Vadnais Lake) on information of a potential murder-suicide. At this time, there’s an active rescue and recovery operation going on.”
Authorities said late Friday that the child who had been recovered from the lake had died and the search was still active for the mother and two other children.
“We’re going to continue to look for the other two children well into the dark,” Fletcher said at a media conference near the lake Friday night. “There’s nothing more tragic than the loss of young children, all of which were apparently under the age of five.”
According to dispatch audio, responders recovered a second body from the lake around midnight and a State Patrol plane returned shortly after to continue assisting overhead.
Sheriff Fletcher confirmed that the second body found was a child.
BREAKING UPDATE: RCSO Undersheriff Mike Martin confirmed in a media conference near the lake around noon Saturday that the remaining two bodies had been recovered earlier in the morning. Two of the children were boys and the other was a girl, Martin said. The names of the women and children have not yet been officially released.
The following is a media release from the Ramsey County Sheriff’s Office:
The Ramsey County Sheriff’s Office is providing an update on the Vadnais-Sucker Lake Regional Park incident. This incident spans two days, Friday, July 1, 2022, through Saturday, July 2, 2022, and includes the Ramsey County Sheriff’s Office and the Maplewood Police Department as the primary responding and investigating law enforcement agencies.
On Friday, July 1, 2022, at approximately 10:30 am, Maplewood Police Officers and Firefighters were dispatched to the 1300 block of Pearson Drive, in the City of Maplewood, on a report of a possible suicide. Maplewood Police Officers and Firefighters arrived on scene and found a deceased adult male. This incident is an active death investigation being conducted by the Maplewood Police Department. The manner and cause of death of this adult male will be determined by the Ramsey County Medical Examiner. No further information is available at this time as this is in active investigation.
In relation to this death investigation, at 4:00 pm, on Friday, July 1, 2022, Ramsey County Sheriff’s Deputies and Maplewood Police Officers responded to a welfare check in the area of Vadnais-Sucker Lake Regional Park, 4500 Rice Street in the City of Vadnais Heights. A welfare check was requested on an adult female with three small children. When Deputies and Officers arrived on scene, they found a vehicle and other items, which included children’s shoes. Based on the vehicle and the items in the area, Deputies, Officers, and Firefighters began a search and rescue operation at the Vadnais-Sucker Lake Regional Park, which included both land and water. The park was closed and a command post was established on the south/southeast side of the lake.
At approximately 7:31 pm, on Friday, July 1, 2022, Deputies pulled a child from the lake and began life saving measures. Medics declared this child deceased. At approximately midnight, a second child was located and pulled from the lake. This child was declared deceased. Deputies, Officers, Firefighters, and other responders remained on scene working to locate the adult female and the other child. At approximately 3:00 am, search and recovery operations were temporarily suspended to daylight. Deputies remained on scene overnight to secure the park.
On Saturday, July 2, 2022, at approximately 6:00 am, search and recovery operations resumed. Deputies, Officers, Firefighters, and other responders continued to work to locate the adult female and the other child. At approximately 10:40 am, an adult female, believed to be the mother of the three children, was located and pulled from the lake. The adult female was declared deceased. At approximately 11:00 am, the third child was located and pulled from the lake. This child was declared deceased. All three children referenced are believed to be under the age of five or six years old.
The Ramsey County Sheriff’s Office is currently investigating this incident as a possible triple murder-suicide. In total, four bodies, one adult and three children (two boys and one girl), were recovered from the lake over the course of a two-day search effort. The Ramsey County Medical Examiner took custody of all bodies. The manner and cause of death of the adult female and three children will be determined by the Ramsey County Medical Examiner. The Ramsey County Medical Examiner will release the names, manner, and cause of death of the adult female and three children at a later date. No further information is available at this time as this is an active investigation.
If you or someone you love is struggling with suicidal thoughts, please get help now by calling the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-8255 (1-800-273-TALK).
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