Four Family Members Dead in Linked Burnsville, Hopkins Killings; Six Children Inside Home Daycare During Attack
Published: August 13th, 2026.
BURNSVILLE & HOPKINS, MINNESOTA: What initially unfolded as two separate homicide investigations Wednesday morning in Hopkins and Burnsville is now being investigated as a connected family tragedy that left four people dead, including a 7-year-old girl, while six other young children were inside a home daycare where part of the violence occurred.
Authorities say a 41-year-old man is believed to have fatally stabbed his 41-year-old wife and their 7-year-old daughter at a Hopkins home that operated as a daycare before dying from a self-inflicted gunshot wound. Investigators have also connected the man to the death of a 78-year-old female relative who was found at a Burnsville residence where police said the man had recently been living.
Police said Wednesday afternoon that investigators were still working to establish the precise sequence of events, determine a motive and confirm the exact relationship between the Burnsville victim and the Hopkins family.
"We believe tragedies in our two cities are linked," Burnsville Police Chief Matt Smith said during a joint press conference Wednesday afternoon.
Officials emphasized that there are no outstanding suspects and no ongoing threat to either community.
Parent Arriving at Daycare Encounters Attack
The investigation began at approximately 9 a.m. Wednesday, August 12, 2026, when the Hopkins Police Department was called to a reported stabbing at a residence operating as a home daycare in the 200 block of Tyler Avenue North. Police later said the 911 call came from a parent arriving at the residence to drop off a child for daycare.
According to Hopkins Police Chief Brent Johnson, the parent encountered what was happening inside the residence and contacted police.
"They witnessed the ongoings inside the residence at that time," Johnson said during Wednesday afternoon's press conference.
Police said the witness was able to identify the person responsible for the attack.
"Our witness clearly identified who the suspect was, who the perpetrator was," Johnson said.
Responding officers entered the residence and discovered three deceased members of the same family. A 41-year-old woman and her 7-year-old daughter were found with fatal stab wounds in the basement area of the home, according to police. A 41-year-old man was located on an upper floor of the residence with what authorities described as a self-inflicted gunshot wound. Police identified the deceased man as the suspected perpetrator in the deaths of the woman and child.
Johnson confirmed Wednesday afternoon that the two adults were husband and wife and that the 7-year-old was their daughter. However, Johnson said investigators had not yet established the couple's current living situation.
"It is a husband and wife," Johnson said. "I don't know what their current living situation is. I don't know if he was still living there or not at the residence. But it was her father and her mother."
Six Other Children Inside Daycare
Perhaps one of the most disturbing elements of the case is that six other children were inside the residence while the incident unfolded. The basement of the residence was used as the daycare area and was also where children entered the daycare, according to police. Johnson said the six children were in the basement area and were safely removed from the residence by responding officers.
"Six other children at that time were present in the daycare, and they were all safely evacuated, physically unharmed and swiftly reunited with their families," Johnson said.
Authorities have not determined, or at least have not publicly disclosed, exactly what each child may have seen or heard. Johnson cautioned against making assumptions about what the children witnessed.
"This is a tragic day and a horrific scene for little children to witness, if they did witness this," Johnson said.
Police also urged members of the public and media to respect the privacy of the affected children and their families as they deal with the aftermath of the violence. All six children were physically unharmed.
Second Death Discovered in Burnsville
Approximately three hours after police were called to the Hopkins daycare, another death investigation began about 20 miles away in Burnsville. Burnsville police were dispatched at approximately 12:23 p.m. to a residence in the area of Maple Island Road and Joplin Avenue following a report of a stabbing. Officers arrived and discovered a 78-year-old woman deceased inside the residence.
Burnsville police initially announced they were investigating the woman's death as a homicide and soon disclosed that investigators believed it was connected to the deaths in Hopkins. At Wednesday afternoon's joint press conference, Smith said a family member had contacted Burnsville police and reported the incident. Authorities described the 78-year-old woman as a relative of the people involved in the Hopkins incident. At the time of the press conference, however, police were awaiting formal identification before publicly specifying the exact relationship.
Investigators also learned that the 41-year-old man found dead in Hopkins had recently been living at the Burnsville residence, according to Smith. That information, combined with evidence and communication between investigators in both cities, led authorities to connect the two scenes.
Burnsville Death May Have Happened First
Although Burnsville police did not discover the 78-year-old woman until several hours after the Hopkins killings, investigators believe the Burnsville incident may have occurred first. When Smith was asked during the press conference whether it was fair to conclude that the Burnsville incident happened before the violence in Hopkins, he said that appeared likely but cautioned that investigators had not yet established a definitive timeline.
"That seems to be the case, but again, we don't have a timeline yet," Smith said.
Authorities said determining the sequence of events will require additional investigative work, including forensic examination and findings from the medical examiners. Police had not publicly established an exact time of death for the Burnsville victim during Wednesday's briefing.
The precise cause and manner of her death and the complete circumstances surrounding what occurred at the Burnsville residence remained part of the active investigation.
No Motive Established
Despite investigators connecting the two scenes, one of the biggest unanswered questions Wednesday was why the killings occurred. Hopkins police said they had not identified a motive.
"Honestly, we do not have a motive," Johnson said. "We will continue to do our investigation. We'll work on forensics and things like that to hopefully determine any sort of motive or cause to this tragic incident."
Police said no note was found.
Johnson also said Hopkins police had no previous calls for service to the daycare residence and that he was not aware of a criminal history involving the 41-year-old man. Investigators were continuing to process evidence from both scenes.
The Hennepin County Sheriff's Office Crime Lab was assisting with processing the Hopkins scene, and multiple law enforcement agencies assisted throughout the response and investigation. Authorities had also not released information Wednesday establishing any prior reported domestic violence involving the family. Still, Hopkins officials characterized the killings as a tragedy involving domestic violence.
"Our entire community is grieving the loss unnecessarily due to domestic violence," Johnson said.
Police Urge Domestic Violence Victims to Seek Help
During the press conference, Johnson was asked what message he would give the public following a case involving violence within a family. He urged people experiencing domestic violence, and people who know someone who may be experiencing it, to contact authorities.
"I would highly recommend that individuals who are experiencing domestic violence call 911 immediately," Johnson said. "Reach out to your friends or families or neighbors. Report those incidents."
Johnson said intervention can allow authorities and courts to pursue protective measures, including no-contact orders and other remedies.
"If you know someone who is experiencing that, definitely call 911," Johnson said.
Community Reeling From Violence
Hopkins Mayor Patrick Hanlon joined police officials at Wednesday's press conference and described the profound effect the killings were already having on the city.
"This city has shed a lot of tears today over this incident, over this immense loss," Hanlon said.
"It's tough to put into words what this loss is for our community," he continued, referencing the loss of a mother and young child as well as the impact on the children who were at the daycare.
Hanlon described Hopkins as a tight-knit city where residents, public safety agencies and community organizations quickly began stepping forward to help those affected.
"There are no strangers in Hopkins," Hanlon said.
He thanked the numerous law enforcement agencies that assisted Hopkins officers, including agencies from throughout the west metro.
Hanlon also singled out the first officers who entered the residence, noting that responding to a scene involving murdered family members and young children carries consequences for first responders professionally and personally.
Mental health professionals and chaplains had already reached out to offer assistance following the tragedy, according to Hanlon.
Daycare Providers Offer Free Care to Families
The violence also immediately left several families without the daycare they had relied upon. Hanlon said other childcare providers were already reaching out to help.
"Daycares who have reached out to the families who now don't have a place tomorrow for their kids to go and said that we'll take those kids in for free," Hanlon said.
"That's the kind of community that this is, that Hopkins is."
Hanlon said focusing on people willing to help one another was especially important amid a tragedy that was otherwise difficult to comprehend.
"In moments like this, I'm so proud of that aspect because you don't know what else to do but to focus on the good in these types of situations," he said.
Vigil Planned for Victims
Hopkins officials also intend to hold a community vigil to remember those who lost their lives. Hanlon said details would be announced when appropriate as investigators and families continue dealing with the immediate aftermath.
"When the time is right, we are planning a vigil to commemorate the lives of the folks that were lost," Hanlon said.
"They were members of our community and in Hopkins, they're members of our family."
Investigation Continues Across Two Cities
The investigation now stretches across two cities and two separate crime scenes. Investigators are working to establish when the 78-year-old Burnsville woman died, what happened before the attack at the Hopkins daycare, and what ultimately led to the violence.
Police are also awaiting formal identification of the victims through the appropriate medical examiner offices and completion of family notifications. At the time of Wednesday afternoon's press conference, officials said those identifications were expected to become available in the coming days.
Both the Hopkins and Burnsville police departments said their investigations remain active and ongoing, and additional information is expected as investigators establish the timeline, medical examiners formally identify the victims, and authorities work to determine what led to the killings.
