Authorities say a father and his 3-year-old son were both found dead inside…
At first, it looked like a tragedy—then the details turned deeply disturbing.
Investigators later confirmed it wasn’t just a loss… it was a murder-suicide.
Sources say the child had been sleeping when the unthinkable happened…
And what the father allegedly did next adds a chilling, almost unbearable twist.
Even more unsettling—three notes were left behind… one of them an apology.
But none of them explain why.
Now, a grieving mother… a shattered family… and questions no one can answer.
What really led to that final, dark moment inside the house…
📌 Full story in the comments
Minn. Man Fatally Shot His 3-Year-Old Son Before Turning Gun on Himself in Apparent Murder-Suicide
Gene Bartnes was found dead in his home by his brother after he failed to show up for work. His 3-year-old son Koltyn was later found dead by authorities
- Gene Bartnes and his son Koltyn, 3, were found dead at a home in Holmesville Township, Minn., on March 30
- Bartnes was found by his brother, who’d gone to check on him after he failed to show up for work that day. Police subsequently found Koltyn’s body
- Authorities determined that Koltyn’s death was a homicide, while Bartnes died by suicide
A Minnesota man and his 3-year-old son were discovered dead in what authorities later determined to be a murder-suicide.
The Becker County Sheriff’s Office said that on March 30, a man went to check on his brother at his home in Holmesville Township after he failed to show up for work.
There, he found his brother dead from an apparent gunshot wound, authorities said.
Once deputies arrived, they subsequently found a 3-year-old boy dead, also from a gunshot wound.
The two deceased were identified as Gene Bartnes, 45, and his son, Koltyn.
The sheriff’s office said Bartnes died by suicide, while Koltyn’s manner of death was ruled a homicide.
Police did not provide information about a potential motive for what happened.
Kristi Frazier, Koltyn’s mother, spoke to Valley News Live in the aftermath of the murder-suicide, telling the outlet that Bartnes allegedly left three suicide notes, one of which was an apology.
Frazier further told the outlet that she was told Bartnes had exhibited odd behavior prior to his death, but that she never expected a murder-suicide.
“They said Koltyn was shot in the back when he was sleeping, and then his dad crawled into bed next to him and shot himself in the chest,” Frazier told Valley News Live.
A GoFundMe has since been started to raise money for Frazier and her family.
“Today, our hearts are shattered as we share the unimaginable loss of a beautiful 3-year-old boy,” the organizer wrote. “No parent should ever have to experience this kind of pain, and yet our beloved daycare provider, Kristi, is now facing every parent’s worst nightmare.”
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