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Authorities in central Minnesota say a pregnant woman and her four children were found safe Friday morning, hours after they were reportedly abducted by the woman’s boyfriend at gunpoint from a home near Brainerd.

The reported abduction had triggered an Amber Alert across the state.

The Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension said the 35-year-old Brainerd man suspected of abducting the family also is suspected of fatally shooting a man at another residence nearby, and setting fire to a home.

According to the BCA and the Crow Wing County Sheriff’s Office, deputies responded to a report of a shooting just before 2 a.m. on Loerch Road, northeast of Brainerd. They found a man — identified as 62-year-old Lyle Maske — dead from an apparent gunshot wound.

Authorities learned that the suspect also allegedly abducted a 33-year-old woman and her four children — ages 3, 7, 11 and 14 — at gunpoint.

Authorities said the woman’s boyfriend fired a rifle into the ceiling of the home before forcing the family to leave with him. 

After the Amber Alert was issued, the vehicle was located and stopped by law enforcement officers in Morrison County at about 7:15 a.m. The woman and her children were found physically unharmed in the vehicle; the suspect was arrested.

A statement from Brainerd Public Schools says the children were students in the district. The statement adds they “are forming a team to support students, families and staff.”

At a news conference on Friday, Crow Wing County Sheriff Eric Klang said the Amber Alert system “worked just the way it was supposed to work.”

An astute Morrison County resident who saw the vehicle alerted law enforcement, and a Morrison County sheriff's deputy and a state trooper stopped the vehicle and took the suspect into custody, Klang said.

“We’re very pleased with the outcome,” he said. “Otherwise ... possibly the turnout could have been a lot different.”

In July, the suspect was charged in Crow Wing County with felony threats of violence and gross misdemeanor domestic assault. The criminal complaint alleges he threatened two people with a knife and threatened to slit their throats after an argument. The suspect allegedly said he was going to “go do meth again,” kicked a door in and stormed out of the residence.

In 2022, the suspect was convicted in Aitkin County District Court of making violent threats against an ex-girlfriend. His other convictions in Crow Wing County include third-degree burglary, motor vehicle theft and third-degree criminal sexual conduct with a minor.

There are also pending cases in Crow Wing County District Court filed this year for DWI and driving after the suspect’s license was revoked.

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Kirsti Marohn

Authorities in central Minnesota say a pregnant woman and her four children were found safe Friday morning, hours after they were reportedly abducted at gunpoint from a home near Brainerd. The suspect is also believed to have fatally shot another man.

Family found safe after shooting, kidnapping prompt Amber Alert; suspect arrested

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