An Amber Alert has been issued in Minnesota after a pregnant woman and her four children were kidnapped at gunpoint by her boyfriend.
Authorities are on the hunt for Nikkole Dobson, 33, after they say she and her children Brandon, 14, Haley, 11, Gracie, 7, and Chloe, 3, were taken by Chad Aanerud, 35.
In a plea for help shared on social media, the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension said Aanerud is suspected of killing a man before kidnapping him.
The agency says Aanerud is Dobson’s boyfriend, who is also pregnant and was seen driving a white 2017 Chrysler Pacifica minivan.
He allegedly arrived at an address in Brainerd and fired a gun into the ceiling before forcing Dobson and her children to leave with him.
Authorities say her children Brandon, 14, Haley, 11, Gracie, 7, and Chloe, 3, were taken by Aanerud
Nikkole Dobson and her children were forced into a vehicle by Aanerud after he arrived at an address and fired a gun into the ceiling
In a plea for help shared on social media, the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension said Aanerud, seen here, is suspected of killing a man before kidnapping him.
Before that, they said he is the suspect in a fatal shooting of a man at another nearby address and in the setting fire to a house on that property.
Officers say they do not know which direction Aanerud went and have advised the public not to approach him.
According to Minnesota public records, Aanerud has been convicted of multiple crimes, including criminal sexual conduct.
As a result of that conviction, he must comply with state laws to register as a predatory offender.
According to court documents from 2018, Aanerud had not done that, which is also a crime, and told officers he had been on the run and was “living in the woods.”
Other crimes he has been convicted of include burglary, theft of a motor vehicle and threats of violence.