Police say a man killed a woman and their child at Brown Bear Childcare before taking his own life.
HOPKINS, MN — A neighbor said a man appeared to be fleeing police shortly before three people were found dead Wednesday at a Hopkins home daycare, adding a new but unconfirmed detail to an investigation that police say involves the deaths of a man, a woman and their child.
Hopkins police said they responded shortly after 9 a.m. Aug. 12 to Brown Bear Childcare, an in-home daycare on the 200 block of Tyler Avenue North. Police Chief Brent Johnson said investigators preliminarily believe the man killed the woman and child before taking his own life. Six other children were inside the daycare and were not injured. Officers removed them from the home and reunited them with their families.
FOX 9 reported Wednesday afternoon that a person who lives near the daycare told reporter Corin Hoggard that a man had been fleeing police before the deadly incident. The station did not identify the neighbor in the brief report. Hopkins police had not publicly confirmed that a pursuit occurred or said that any reported chase was connected to the deaths. The sequence therefore remains a witness account rather than an established finding in the investigation.
Johnson said a parent arriving to drop off a child called police and was believed to have witnessed the attack. Authorities initially received a report involving a possible stabbing, but the chief said investigators were still determining what weapons were involved and declined to state how the three people died. Police also had not publicly identified the deceased or released a motive.
The chief said the adults were associated with the daycare and that the child who died was believed to be theirs. The Associated Press reported that police described the man and woman as owners of the daycare. Authorities said the incident was isolated and that there was no continuing threat to the public.
“There’s no worse scenario than this, where you drop off your child somewhere you think is safe, and you get that phone call,” Johnson said at a news conference. He described killings as rare in Hopkins and said officers who entered the home were deeply affected by what they encountered.
Brown Bear Childcare operated from a two-story house in the residential neighborhood. State records cited by The Associated Press show the daycare had been licensed since 2019 with capacity for 10 children and was found in compliance during visits in 2023, 2024 and 2025. The daycare advertised itself as a licensed home program with dedicated indoor play space.
A separate neighbor, Amanda Marx, who lives across the street, told The Associated Press she first realized something was wrong when she saw officers trying to enter the house. She later saw young children come out, including one who was being carried by an officer. Marx said she did not recall previous disturbances at the property and had not known that the home was being used as a daycare.
Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty said her office was working with Hopkins police during the investigation and that its victim services division was prepared to assist people affected by the incident. Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey also said Minneapolis had offered assistance to Hopkins officials.
Investigators had not confirmed Wednesday afternoon whether a police pursuit occurred before the deaths, what prompted the violence or exactly when each part of the incident happened. Police were continuing to process the home and gather witness information, leaving the reported chase among several questions still unresolved.
Author note: Last updated August 12, 2026.