Amber Alert suspect arrested after wife and four children kidnapped

A man accused of armed kidnapping of a woman and her four children after allegedly killing a man in Minnesota was in custody Friday morning and the victims were reported safe, local and state officials said.

Chad Aanerud, 35, was arrested around 7:15 a.m. local time during a traffic stop after a white minivan was stopped in Morrison County, the Minnesota Department of Public Safety Bureau of Criminal Apprehension (BCA) and local authorities said.

The county, in the east-central part of the state, is just south of Crow Wing County, where police reported the woman and her children were taken just after 1:50 a.m. Friday.

The victims, whom police identified as the man's 33-year-old girlfriend and four children ages 3, 7, 11 and 14, were reported missing, according to the Crow Wing County Sheriff's Office, the agency that reported the family missing , found safe in the vehicle, triggering a statewide Amber Alert.

“There is no danger to the public at this time,” Sheriff Eric Klang told USA TODAY late Friday morning. “Deputies continue to work on this case and will provide further updates as the investigation continues.”

A shooting, a family kidnapping and a house arson

Officials said that before the kidnapping, Aanerud allegedly shot a man and killed him in a home in Maple Grove Township before burning it down and kidnapping the five victims at gunpoint.

The sheriff's office identified the man fatally shot as Lyle Maske, 62.

It was not immediately known whether the suspect knew Maske or whether Maske knew the Amber Alert victims, but police said Friday they believe the kidnapping and shooting were related.

Minnesota Amber Alert issued following killing and kidnapping

According to the sheriff's office, the family was picked up from a home where they were staying near the city of Brainerd, about 130 miles northwest of Minneapolis.

Officials said Aanerud arrived at the home in the 15000 block of Loerch Road where the victims were staying around 1:50 a.m. Friday and fired a rifle bullet into the ceiling.

At some point, Aanered fatally shot the victim, forced the mother and her four children to ride with him in a 2017 Chrysler Pacifica, and burned the house down.

As of late Friday morning, police had released no further information about the murder and kidnapping.

The sheriff's office said both the shooting and kidnapping remain under investigation.

This story has been updated to add new information.

Natalie Neysa Alund is a senior reporter for USA TODAY. Reach her at [email protected] and follow her on X @nataliealund.

A shooting, a family kidnapping and a house arson

Minnesota Amber Alert issued following killing and kidnapping

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