Burnsville homicide linked to earlier Hopkins daycare killings, police say
Police say the stabbing death of a 78-year-old woman in Burnsville is connected to the murders and suicide at a Hopkins daycare earlier that day.
The Burnsville Police Department responded around 12:23 p.m. on Wednesday to a residence near Maple Island Road and Joplin Avenue after a family member reported finding a 78-year-old woman dead inside. Officers confirmed the death as a homicide. Burnsville Police Chief Matt Smith said the victim is believed to be a close relative of the suspect involved in the earlier Hopkins daycare incident, where the suspect had been staying.
Smith added, "We believe the tragedies in our two cities are linked," and noted that the Burnsville stabbing appears to have occurred before the Hopkins killings, though investigators have not yet established a precise timeline.
In the Hopkins case, police were called shortly after 9 a.m. to Brown Bear Daycare on Tyler Avenue North. Officers found a 41-year-old woman and a 7-year-old girl dead from stab wounds, and a 41-year-old man who later died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound. Six other children were present but were unharmed and later reunited with their families. Hopkins Police Chief Brent Johnson said the victims appear to be members of the same family and that the man is believed to have been the perpetrator.
Both investigations remain active, and authorities say there is no ongoing threat to the public.