A search warrant says Nathan Brown attacked his wife and 7-year-old daughter while six other children were inside the Hopkins daycare.
HOPKINS, Minn. — A 41-year-old Minnesota man fatally attacked his wife and their 7-year-old daughter at the family’s home daycare Wednesday before dying by suicide, according to police and a search warrant released as investigators worked to determine what led to the killings.
The Hennepin County search warrant identified the man as Nathan Brown and the victims as his wife, 41-year-old Kristen Brown, and their daughter, Evie Brown. Authorities said Kristen Brown operated Brown Bear Childcare from the family’s home in Hopkins, a Minneapolis suburb. Six other young children were inside the daycare when the violence occurred Aug. 12, but authorities said none was physically injured.
According to the search warrant, a father arrived at the daycare shortly after 9 a.m. to drop off two children and heard screaming from inside. He entered the home and encountered the attack, then removed his children and two additional children before calling 911. Police later evacuated the remaining children and reunited them with their families. Officers found Kristen and Evie Brown dead inside the home and Nathan Brown dead elsewhere in the residence.
The warrant says investigators recovered a screwdriver believed to have been used in the fatal attacks on Kristen and Evie. Police said Nathan Brown died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound. The specific details were disclosed in the warrant after authorities initially released only limited information about how the three family members died. Hopkins police said the investigation remained active.
Investigators also believe Nathan Brown was responsible for killing a 78-year-old relative earlier that day at a home in Burnsville, about 20 miles from Hopkins. Burnsville police responded to that residence around 12:30 p.m. after a relative found the woman dead. Authorities said Brown had recently been living at the Burnsville residence. The Minnesota Star Tribune, citing a family member, identified the woman as his mother, Alice Brown.
The attacks left investigators examining two separate crime scenes and trying to establish a complete timeline. Police had not announced a confirmed motive. Hopkins Police Chief Brent Johnson said investigators were seeking evidence that could explain what happened, while authorities emphasized there was no continuing threat to the public after Brown was found dead.
The search warrant provides details about problems within the Browns’ relationship before the killings. The parent who witnessed the daycare attack told investigators that Kristen Brown had sent families a notice about two weeks earlier saying Brown Bear Childcare would soon close because of relationship issues involving Nathan Brown. Investigators had not publicly determined whether those problems directly led to the violence.
State records show Kristen Brown had been licensed to operate the daycare since 2019. Brown Bear Childcare was licensed for up to 10 children and had been found in compliance during state visits in 2023, 2024 and 2025. The daycare operated from the basement of the family’s Hopkins home. Authorities said there had been no previous police calls to the address that indicated a history of similar violence.
Kristen Brown had a background in education and started Brown Bear Childcare shortly after Evie’s birth. The daycare’s public materials described activities that included music, cooking and educational outings. Her death and Evie’s killing drew an outpouring of grief from people connected to the daycare and the Hopkins community as authorities continued processing evidence from the home.
Johnson described the killings as an unusually devastating event for the city and said the circumstances were particularly difficult because children were present. The six other children at the daycare were removed safely, but officials acknowledged the emotional impact of what happened on families, witnesses and first responders.
Police continued investigating the Hopkins and Burnsville deaths as related cases, including the sequence of events and any possible motive. No additional suspect was being sought, and authorities said there was no ongoing danger to the public. Investigators had not announced when their review of the evidence would be completed.
Author note: Last updated August 15, 2026.