Man, Child Found Dead in Becker County Home After Wellness Check

A man went to his brother's home along County Highway 113 in Holmesville Township on Monday because his brother had not shown up for work. He found him dead from an apparent gunshot wound. When Becker County Sheriff's deputies arrived at the residence, set in a rural stretch roughly three to four miles northeast of Detroit Lakes near Rock Lake, they found a child inside the home, also dead from an apparent gunshot wound.

The Becker County Sheriff's Office received the welfare-check call at about 12:39 p.m. Monday, March 30. Investigators from the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension Crime Lab were seen working at the scene between their vehicle and the home as authorities spent several hours on site. No arrests have been made. Sheriff Todd Glander said the victims' names were expected to be released Tuesday, pending family notification.

Authorities said the incident appears isolated with no known threat to the public. No information about circumstances surrounding the shooting has been released.

The check that brought a brother to that door followed a pattern common across rural Minnesota: a missed work shift is the first sign something is wrong, and a family member makes the drive before anyone else does. In Minnesota, deputies responding to a welfare call can enter a home without a warrant when they have reasonable grounds to believe someone inside is in danger. Before making entry, however, they have limited authority if no one responds and no immediate emergency is visible from outside. Requests for a welfare check can be made by calling 911.

Mobile mental health crisis response services are available to adults, children, and families in Otter Tail County through the LMHC crisis line at 1-800-223-4512, available around the clock. The Productive Alternative Crisis Stabilization Unit in Fergus Falls can be reached at 218-998-2525. Lakes Crisis and Resource Center, which serves the Detroit Lakes region, operates a 24-hour crisis hotline at 218-847-7446 or 877-754-9683 and provides services to people who have experienced domestic violence or sexual assault. To report suspected child abuse or neglect in Otter Tail County during regular business hours, Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., call 218-998-8150. After hours, call 911.