Husband Fatally Shot Wife, Then Himself On Dakota County Farm: Sheriff

DAKOTA COUNTY, MN — A man shot and killed his wife on a farm in Dakota County before fatally shooting himself this week, according to the sheriff's office.

On Sunday at about 8 p.m., Dakota County deputies responded to a report of a deceased man and woman found by a family member in a farm field near 210th Street East and Clayton Avenue in the town of Empire.

Investigators learned that a son became concerned about his father and stepmother when they did not return to their home in Oakdale after going to their leased farm plot in Dakota County earlier that day.

The son and another family member drove to the farm site and found the couple deceased in the field from apparent gunshot wounds, according to the sheriff's office.

Two handguns were found at the scene; one in Brown’s hand and another in his jacket pocket, authorities said.

The Hennepin County Medical Examiner’s Office confirmed the identity of the victims as 65-year-old Smith Coop Brown and his spouse 27-year-old Payao Vang, both of Oakdale.

"At this time, evidence leads us to believe that Mr. Brown took Mrs. Vang’s life and then his own," the sheriff's office said in a statement. "We extend our deep condolences to the family and friends of the victims."

Deputies continue to investigate what may have led to the incident.