Farmer and three workers found dead in North Dakota field in suspected murder-suicide
Authorities say a .357 revolver was found at scene in Towner County wheat field
A farmer was found dead in a North Dakota field alongside three other bodies in what officials are calling a murder-suicide.
Authorities say that a .357 revolver was found at the scene of the shooting in a wheat field in Towner County, which is located 200 miles northeast of Bismark.
The victims have been named as Douglas Dulmage, 56; Justin Bracken, 34; Richard Bracken, 64; and Robert Bracken, 59.
Dulmage was killed while combining wheat, and the three men had been hired to work on the farm alongside him, according to KVLY.
The bodies were discovered on Monday evening when a relative of one of the farmhands reportedly went looking for him.
Sheriff Andrew Hillier refused to identify a motive in the case but said it appeared to be a murder-suicide.
A friend of Dulmage, who farmed wheat, corn, and soybeans with his 95-year-old father at the property, described his killing as a “devastating loss” to the rural community.
“He was a pillar of the community,” Pat Traynor told KVLY.
“Everybody loved Doug Dulmage. He just had a tremendous, tremendous heart. He also had a quick wit. He was fun.
“If we could all be a bit more like Doug, the world would be a much better place.”