Bodies of woman, 3 children recovered from Vadnais Lake
The bodies of three children and a woman believed to be their mother have been recovered from Vadnais Lake in Ramsey County. The Ramsey County Sheriff’s Office is treating the case as a murder-suicide investigation.
A search began Friday for the family after a man was found dead inside a home in Maplewood. The call had been reported to police as a suicide.
“They had been looking for the mother with the children as a result of the incident that occurred,” said Ramsey County Undersheriff Mike Martin. “They were concerned about her wellbeing and the wellbeing of the children.”
Martin did not discuss the man’s connection to the case, citing the ongoing investigation. Authorities tracked the woman’s cell phone on Friday afternoon to Vadnais Lake.
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An initial search recovered the body of one child at 7:30 p.m. Friday. Just after midnight, another child’s body was recovered.
Crews continued the search overnight. The body of the woman was recovered at around 10:40 a.m. Saturday, and the third child was recovered about a half hour later.
The bodies were recovered on the eastern shore of the lake.
“Emotionally, I’ve been doing this for 30 years, and water patrol for most of it, and this was one of the more difficult ones,” said Commander Eric Bradt, with the Ramsey County Sheriff’s Office Water Patrol.
The medical examiner will determine the cause and manner of the deaths. Authorities have not identified the woman or the two boys and one girl believed to have died.
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