FATHER DROPS OFF HIS CHILD AT DAYCARE — THEN WALKS INTO A DEADLY ATTACK

HOPKINS, MINNESOTA — A routine morning drop-off at a Minnesota home daycare turned into a scene of unimaginable horror Wednesday when a father walked through the back door and encountered a man attacking a woman and a 7-year-old girl, police say.

The parent had arrived at Brown Bear Childcare in Hopkins to drop off his child when he heard screaming coming from the basement.

According to a search warrant, he went toward the noise and witnessed 41-year-old Nathan Brown attacking his wife, 41-year-old Kristen Brown, and their 7-year-old daughter, Evie Brown, with a screwdriver.

What happened next may have prevented an even greater tragedy.

FATHER GRABS THREE CHILDREN AND RUNS

The father immediately grabbed his own child and two other children and fled the daycare.

He then called 911 and reported what he had witnessed.

When officers arrived, they found Kristen, Evie and Nathan dead inside the property.

Police say Nathan had fatally attacked his wife and daughter before shooting himself.

Six additional children were inside the daycare at the time of the incident. Authorities said all six were safely evacuated and did not suffer physical injuries.

For the families who had trusted the daycare with their children, the morning became a nightmare almost impossible to comprehend.

“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 Brent Johnson said.

INVESTIGATORS BELIEVE THE VIOLENCE STARTED ELSEWHERE

The investigation quickly expanded beyond the daycare.

Authorities believe Nathan Brown may have killed his 78-year-old mother, Alice Brown, at her home in Burnsville before traveling to the daycare.

Alice was discovered dead from what investigators described as an apparent stabbing.

Police are now working to reconstruct Brown’s movements leading up to the killings and determine what happened in the hours before he arrived at the daycare.

WARNING SIGNS BEFORE THE ATTACK

Investigators also uncovered a potentially significant detail about Nathan and Kristen Brown’s relationship.

According to police, Kristen had planned to close the daycare approximately two weeks before the killings, citing “relationship issues” involving Nathan.

That decision has raised questions about what was happening inside the family home in the weeks leading up to the violence.

Authorities have not publicly detailed the nature of those relationship problems or what may have triggered the deadly confrontation.

CHILDREN ESCAPED THE WORST

Perhaps the most haunting part of the case is the number of children who were inside the daycare when the violence erupted.

Several children were present when the attack occurred, yet they were able to escape without physical injuries.

The father who arrived for drop-off is now being credited with taking immediate action after discovering the attack, getting three children out of the building and alerting emergency services.

The investigation remains ongoing as authorities piece together the sequence of events involving the daycare, the Brown family home and Alice Brown’s death.

For parents who bring their children to daycare believing they are entering one of the safest places in their lives, the incident has left behind a chilling reminder of how quickly an ordinary morning can become a catastrophe.

Three people are dead, multiple children witnessed the aftermath of horrific violence, and investigators are now trying to understand what led to the deadly chain of events.