Full Breakdown
Tragedy at Hopkins Home Daycare and Linked Burnsville Homicide
8/13/2026, 4:02:38 AM
Core Event
- On August 12, 2026, police responded to Brown Bear Daycare in Hopkins, Minnesota, after a 911 call reported a stabbing. Inside the residence on the 200 block of Tyler Avenue North, officers found three deceased: a 41-year-old man (self-inflicted gunshot wound), a 41-year-old woman and their 7-year-old daughter (both with apparent stab wounds). Six other children, described as “very young,” were unharmed and later reunited with families.
- Later that day, Burnsville police discovered a 78-year-old woman stabbed to death near Maple Island Road and Joplin Avenue. Investigators said she was a close family relative of the Hopkins suspect and that the two incidents appear connected.
Background & Context
- Brown Bear Daycare operated as a licensed in-home childcare center. State records show it had been licensed since 2019 and was found compliant during inspections in 2023, 2024, and 2025.
- Minnesota law requires all adults living in or working at a licensed home daycare to pass a background check that includes criminal history and child-maltreatment records (Minnesota Statutes, Chapter 245C). The licensing system does not capture ongoing domestic-violence situations that have not resulted in an arrest or conviction.
Data & Statistics
- Victims at Hopkins: two adults (both 41) and one child.
- Victim at Burnsville: one adult.
- Surviving children: six, all under age 5, physically unharmed.
- Daycare capacity: 10 children.
- Licensing compliance inspections: 2023, 2024, 2025.
Official Statements & Responses
- Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty said her office is working with Hopkins police and that the victim-services division is prepared to support those impacted.
- Hopkins Police Chief Johnson added that investigators believe the two incidents are linked, though a precise timeline has not been established.
On-the-Ground Reports
- A parent dropping off a child witnessed the attack and called 911.
- Neighbor Kelly Shortenhaus described the neighborhood as “quiet” and expressed disbelief at the violence.
- Hopkins Mayor Patrick Hanlon said the community “knows each other” and announced a future vigil for the victims.
Conflicting Reports & Gaps
- The exact relationship between the two adults who owned the daycare has not been confirmed; sources differ on whether they were spouses or partners, and police have not released definitive marital status.
- The sequence of events between the Hopkins killings and the Burnsville stabbing remains unclear; Burnsville Chief Smith indicated a timeline has not yet been established.
- The weapons used and the precise manner of death for the two adult victims have not been disclosed.
Verbatim Quotes
- “There’s no worse scenario than this, where you drop off your child somewhere you think is safe, and you get that phone call,” — Hopkins Police Chief Johnson
- “Our entire community is grieving the loss, unnecessarily, due to domestic violence,” — Brent Johnston, Hopkins police chief
- “Based on work between our officers and investigators with the Hopkins Police Department, we believe this tragedy and the tragedy in Hopkins are linked,” — Burnsville Police Chief Smith
