Fast Read
Police and firefighters found a 38-year-old man and his three sons dead Sunday after responding to a house fire in the small town of Grand Meadow in southern Minnesota. The Mower County sheriff now says all four died from gunshot wounds and that the father killed his 14-year-old twins and 7-year-old boy, before shooting himself and killing himself.
A 38-year-old man shot and killed his three sons before killing himself Sunday at a home in a small town in southern Minnesota, according to the Mower County Sheriff’s Office. The bodies of the four people were discovered by emergency services responding to a house fire on Sunday morning.
Mower County Sheriff Steve Sandvik identified the dead as Levi David Christenson, 38, his 14-year-old twin sons, Oliver James Christenson and Felix Richard Christenson, and Calvin Jones Christenson, 7, all of Grand Meadow, about 20 miles south of Rochester.
In a press release, Sandvik said investigators determined the manner and cause of death of the three boys was homicide by gunshot; the circumstances and cause of the father’s death were determined to be suicide by gunshot.
The Mower County Sheriff’s Office said its deputies and the Grand Meadow Fire Department responded to a call about a fire at a home on First Street Northeast around 11:30 a.m. Sunday and discovered smoke coming from the residence. The bodies were discovered after firefighters brought the fire under control.
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The investigation into the deaths and the house fire remains ongoing, according to the sheriff’s statement.
“We are confident that there is no danger to the community following this incident, but we must complete the investigative process before definitive answers can be provided to many of the questions that remain unanswered,” Mower County Sheriff Steve Sandvik wrote in Wednesday’s news release.
A fundraiser for the boys’ mother, who was divorced from Christenson, raised nearly $58,000 as of Wednesday afternoon.
Due to the complex nature of the ongoing investigation, Sandvik said no further public information will be provided at this time.
“The nature of this tragic and unconscionable tragedy occurring in this small, close-knit community has affected all parts of the community,” Sandvik added. “We continue to ask that the privacy of everyone involved be respected during this extremely difficult time as the community comes together to help each other cope with this tragedy and work toward healing.
The Minnesota State Fire Marshal and the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension are assisting local agencies in the investigation.
If you or someone you know is struggling, you are not alone. Call or text 988 to get in touch with qualified counselors who can help you. The 988 Suicide and Crisis lifeline is available 24/7.
If you or someone you know is in a dangerous situation with a partner, there is a 24-hour domestic and sexual violence hotline available statewide. You can call Minnesota, day one at (866) 223-1111 or by text to (612) 399-9995.
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