Police say two young children are safe after their father attempted to kill them and himself in Lakeville. A hose was connected to the exhaust and routed inside the vehicle.
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“The initial investigation determined that the subject of the call had made suicidal statements to family members in recent days”, Lakeville police said in a news release.
A family member notified police after allegedly interrupting what police called a suicide attempt.
The incident was reported at 1:45 a.m. Ernst was stopped by Burnsville police near Interstate 35E southbound and Dakota County Road 42 before 4:15 a.m.
The man, later identified as Ernst, had been found by a family member sitting inside of his vehicle with his two sons, 2-year-old Dexter and 4-year-old Jason. The Amber Alert was canceled early Thursday morning.
This was the second Amber Alert in the Twin Cities in the past week.
According to the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension’s website, there have been 29 Amber Alerts in Minnesota since the program began in 2002 – all 29 kids have been located. Ernst and the two boys were found safe.
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Police said their father is the suspect in their abduction, but there has been no word on if 27-year-old Ernst will face charges.
