Three adults and two minors were found dead across two Minnesota homes in what police believe is a quadruple murder-suicide.
According to a Duluth Police Department press release, officers arrived at a home on the 6000 block of Tacony Street in Duluth around 2 p.m. on Thursday, Nov. 7, after one of the resident's coworkers reported she had not shown up for work. Erin Abramson, 47, and her 15-year-old son Jacob Nephew were found dead inside from gunshot wounds, police said.
Authorities quickly identified 46-year-old Anthony Nephew — Abramson's ex and Jacob's father — as the suspect and set up surveillance at his home, located on the 4400 block of West 6th Street, about one mile away from the original crime scene.
Duluth Police Chief Mike Ceynowa said at a Friday, Nov. 8 press conference that police used a drone to enter the home, where they found the bodies of Anthony's ex-wife Kathryn Nephew, 45, and his 7-year-old son Oliver Nephew. They were also dead from gunshot wounds, police said.
Anthony was also found dead in the second home "from what appears to be a self-inflicted gunshot wound," according to police.
Authorities have not yet confirmed a motive for the shootings.
Ceynowa explained that Anthony had a history of mental health issues and that police had been called to the house on West 6th Street multiple times in the past. He also added that investigators were still in the process of using cell phone data to establish when the shootings took place.
"Our thoughts and prayers go out to the family, friends and loved ones of the four victims in this tragic incident," the chief said. "We also want to send our condolences to both the Duluth community and Superior community as this is a senseless and tragic event."
Police said there is no threat to the public, and the investigation is ongoing.
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Minnesota Public Radio reported that Duluth public schools — where Oliver was a first-grade student — have sent out a message to parents about the incident and are providing students with crisis resources.
"This is not something that happens often in our community," Duluth Mayor Roger Reinert said, per Minnesota Public Radio. "It's been a couple years since we’ve seen something like this, and we're going to grieve, but we're also going to make sure that we support those families and support our public safety team."
If you are experiencing domestic violence, call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-7233, or go to thehotline.org. All calls are toll-free and confidential. The hotline is available 24/7 in more than 170 languages.
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