Officials fear that a triple homicide involving children under the age of five has taken place in Vadnais Heights, Minnesota, Friday.
Two boys and one girl have been pulled from Vadnais Lake in Minnesota – one on Friday and two on Saturday – as well as a woman believed to be the children’s mother, officials said, according to Fox 9 Minneapolis.
“A horrible set of facts appears to be developing,” Ramsey County Sheriff Bob Fletcher said Friday evening. “We do not know the certainty of all three children, but have recovered one child. There’s nothing more tragic than the loss of young children.”
The children’s father was also found dead earlier Friday, authorities told Fox 9 Minneapolis. That investigation led officials to track the mother’s cell phone to the lake, where her car was discovered.
A small crowd gathered near the lake as an emergency boat searched the water Friday. A state patrol helicopter also assisted with the search.
VADNAIS HEIGHTS: Officers searching the area of Vadnais Lake for a reportedly suicidal woman & her 3 children. Her vehicle was pinged to the park & a child was just pulled from the lake. – Officers are shutting down the park area & a State Patrol helicopter is assisting overhead. pic.twitter.com/kzQXK4PeCP
— MN CRIME | Police/Fire/EMS (@MN_CRIME) July 2, 2022