Bodies of Dad and 3 Sons Were Found After House Fire. Now Authorities Say They Died in Murder-Suicide
(L-R) Calvin, Oliver and Felix ChristensonCredit: GoFundMe
Days after responding to a house fire in Minnesota, local authorities shared the cause and manner of death for four family members
The deaths of Calvin, Oliver and Felix Christenson were ruled as homicides, while their father Levi died by suicide
The fire remains under investigation
Four family members, whose bodies were found after a house fire in Minnesota over the weekend, died in a murder-suicide, authorities have revealed.
The Mower County Sheriff’s Office identified the four family members who died following the blaze on Sunday, Nov. 8, as Levi Christenson, 38, and sons Oliver and Felix, both 14, and Calvin, 7, according to a statement obtained by PEOPLE on Wednesday, Nov. 11.
Oliver, Felix and Calvin’s deaths were all ruled homicide by gunshot wound, while their father was determined to have died by a self-inflected gunshot wound.
The investigation into the fire remains ongoing, as authorities say “there are several questions that cannot be answered definitively at this point until further analysis is completed and confirmed.”
“The nature of this tragic and inconceivable tragedy occurring in this close-knit small community has touched all parts of the community,” Mower County Sheriff Steven Sandvik said in the statement.
“We continue to ask that the privacy of all involved is respected during this extremely difficult time as the community comes together to help each other come to grips with this tragedy and work toward healing,” he continued.
Authorities earlier said that first responders were summoned to a single-family residence on First Street Northeast in Grand Meadow late Sunday morning. Smoke was coming out of the home when firefighters arrived.
A friend started an online fundraiser on behalf of Lauren Hosp, the mother of Calvin and twins Oliver and Felix, the Star Tribune reported.
“No mother should ever have to endure such a heartbreaking loss, and there are simply no words that could ever begin to describe the pain she is facing,” wrote DeeDee Payne, the GoFundMe organizer.
“Lauren’s three boys were her entire world, her greatest blessings, and the light of her life,” Payne continued. “Everything she did was rooted in the love she had for them. She was a truly spectacular mother who loved her boys beyond measure. Her love, dedication, and devotion to them were evident in everything she did.”
In an update, Payne also asked the public to keep the emergency personnel who responded to the fire in their thoughts.
— sign up for PEOPLE’s free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.
“These are the individuals who run toward situations that most of us cannot even begin to imagine,” the organizer wrote. “Beneath their uniforms are human beings who feel, hurt, and carry the emotional weight of what they encounter. Our hearts are with each and every one of them as they, too, navigate the aftermath of this heartbreaking day.”
PEOPLE contacted the City of Grand Meadow and Payne on Wednesday, but did not receive an immediate response.
If you are experiencing domestic violence, call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-7233, or go to thehotline.org. All calls are toll-free and confidential. The hotline is available 24/7 in more than 170 languages.
Source: Crime
0 Comments