Gene Bartnes shot his 3-year-old son Koltyn in the back while the boy slept, then turned the gun on himself, according to the child's mother. The bodies were discovered on March 30 in Holmesville Township after Bartnes failed to show up for work. Police confirmed the deaths as a murder-suicide.
Becker County Sheriff's Office deputies responded to a home in Holmesville Township, Minnesota, on the afternoon of March 30. Bartnes' brother had grown concerned when the 45-year-old father did not appear for work that morning and entered the residence. He found Bartnes dead from a gunshot wound, and deputies later located the body of 3-year-old Koltyn nearby. Authorities confirmed Bartnes killed his son before shooting himself in the chest, as detailed by Kristi Frazier, the boy's mother and Bartnes' former partner, in an interview with KVLY, the local NBC affiliate. Frazier recounted that police informed her Koltyn was shot in the back while asleep, after which Bartnes crawled into bed next to him. She noted Bartnes may have struggled with mental health issues, and his landlord had observed him seeming 'off' shortly before the incident. Frazier also revealed Bartnes left three suicide notes: one addressed to her, one for law enforcement, and one containing an apology. Police seized the notes as part of their investigation, so she has not read them. The family described Frazier as a daycare provider in the community, and plans for a funeral remain on hold pending the probe.