DETROIT LAKES — A man and a child in rural Becker County were found dead Monday, March 30, with apparent gunshot wounds.
The Becker County Sheriff's Office received a call at 12:39 p.m. from a man who went to check on his brother because he hadn't shown up at work Monday. The man found his brother dead at his residence in Holmesville Township.
When deputies arrived, they found the dead child, according to the sheriff's office.
On Tuesday, the Ramsey County Medical Examiner's Office determined the deaths were murder-suicide. Gene Russell Bartnes, 45, fatally shot his 3-year-old son Koltyn Wayne Bartnes before turning the gun on himself.
The incident remains under investigation. The sheriff's office reported the incident appears to be isolated with no known threat to the public.
The Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension Crime Lab is assisting the Becker County Sheriff’s Office with the investigation.
Editor's Note: This article was updated on Monday, April 1, to reflect the identities in the shooting death investigation.
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