Amber Alert Issued: Pregnant Woman and 4 Children Abducted at Gunpoint in Crow Wing County

Amber Alert Issued

Law enforcement officials near Brainerd have issued an Amber Alert following the alleged abduction of a pregnant woman and her four children at gunpoint overnight.

According to the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension (BCA), 33-year-old Nikkole Dobson and her children, aged 14, 11, 7, and 3, were taken from a residence northeast of Brainerd. The suspect, identified as Dobson's boyfriend, 35-year-old Chad Aanerud, is believed to be driving a white 2017 Chrysler Pacifica minivan with the Minnesota license plate AEC 351.

Authorities report that Aanerud arrived at the home where Dobson and her children were staying and fired a rifle into the ceiling before forcing them to leave with him. He is also suspected of fatally shooting a man at a nearby residence and subsequently setting that home on fire.

Aanerud is described as standing 6 feet 2 inches tall, weighing 185 pounds, with reddish-brown hair and hazel eyes.

The whereabouts of the suspect and the victims are currently unknown. Authorities urge anyone who sees Aanerud, Dobson, or the children to refrain from approaching them and to call 911 immediately.

Amber Alert Issued: Pregnant Woman and 4 Children Abducted at Gunpoint in Crow Wing County