MAPLE GROVE TOWNSHIP, Min. (FOX 9) – A man was found was fatally shot before a suspect kidnapped a pregnant mother and her four children at gunpoint, according to the Crow Wing County Sheriff’s Office.

READ MORE: Amber Alert canceled: Family found safe, suspect in custody

Deadly attack, kidnapping and Amber Alert

Crow Wing County deputies responded to a shooting around 1:50 a.m. Friday, Nov. 1, on Loerch Road in Maple Grove Township, east of Brainerd, where they found Lyle Maske, 62, of Brainerd, apparently dead. They found it. gunshot wound

Authorities identified the suspect as a 35-year-old Brainerd man, while the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension (BCA) noted that the suspect also burned down a house on the property after shooting Maske.

The suspect then kidnapped his pregnant girlfriend and her four children at gunpoint, BCA said. He fired a rifle into the ceiling of the house and forced the family to leave with him.

The Crow Wing County Sheriff’s Office said it “has reason to believe the shooting death and apparent kidnapping are related events.” The fatal shooting and kidnapping occurred “at a nearby separate residence,” BCA noted.

The abduction of the woman and her four children around 1:50 a.m. Friday prompted an Amber Alert, and authorities said the suspect fled in an unknown direction in a white van.

The woman and her children were found unharmed around 7:15 a.m. Friday, when the suspect’s vehicle was found in neighboring Morrison County, the Crow Wing County Sheriff’s Office said.

Authorities said the suspect was taken into custody without incident.

what we don’t know

Authorities neither explained the motive for the attack nor said what led to the kidnapping.

No criminal complaint has been filed against the suspect yet.

This is an evolving story. Check back for updates.