BRAINERD, MINNESOTA – An amber alert was issued early Friday morning in Minnesota after authorities say a suspect murdered a man and then kidnapped his pregnant girlfriend and her four children.
On November 1, 2024, at approximately 1:50 AM, Crow Wing County Sheriff’s Deputies responded to a shooting on Loerch Road in Oak Lawn Township east of Brainerd, Minneosta. Deputies arrived in the area and found an adult male deceased from an apparent gunshot wound. The victim was identified as Lyle Maske, 62 years old from Brainerd.
Investigators identified 35-year-old Chad Aanerud of Brainerd as a suspect in the shooting. They say he also burned a house down.
Police say Aanerud (pictured at top) fired a rifle round into the ceiling of the residence and forced a 33-year-old female, and four juveniles ages 14, 11, 7, and 3 years old, to leave with him. They left the scene in a 2017 Chrysler Pacifica, white in color. The Sheriff’s Office had reason to believe the shooting death and the apparent abduction are related incidents.
An Amber Alert was sent out with the suspect and vehicle information.
At approximately 7:15 AM, the vehicle was located and stopped by law enforcement in Morrison County. Aanerud was taken into custody, and the five individuals were located in the vehicle unharmed.
Police are continuing to investigate.