On a late summer day, August 29, 2022, a tragedy unfolded in a rural North Dakota wheat field near Cando, shattering the peace of the close-knit farming community. Douglas Dulmage, a 56-year-old White / Caucasian male farmer from Leeds, was operating his combine, busy with the harvest on his own land. Working with him were three hired hands: 34-year-old Justin Bracken, his father Richard Bracken, 64, and his uncle Robert Bracken, 59.
The day took a horrific turn when all four men were found shot to death in the field.
The discovery of the four unresponsive individuals prompted an investigation by the Towner County Sheriff's Office, with assistance from the North Dakota Bureau of Criminal Investigation. Initial evidence found at the scene quickly pointed towards a murder-suicide. Douglas Dulmage was found shot in his combine. The bodies of the three Bracken men were located nearby. Investigators recovered a. 357 caliber revolver next to the body of Robert Bracken.
Subsequent autopsies and further investigation confirmed the authorities' initial theory. It was determined that Robert Bracken had shot and killed his brother Richard, his son Justin, and Douglas Dulmage before turning the gun on himself. The autopsies revealed that Dulmage, Justin Bracken, and Richard Bracken all died from multiple gunshot wounds, while Robert Bracken died from a single self-inflicted gunshot. The motive for the horrific act appeared to stem from a dispute between the brothers, Robert and Richard Bracken, which had reportedly been escalating for a week or more prior to the shootings.
The incident left the community in shock and mourning the loss of a man described as a pillar of his community. Douglas Dulmage was not only a dedicated farmer who worked alongside his elderly father, but also a husband and a father to two daughters. Friends and neighbors remembered him as a kind, generous, and quiet leader whose actions spoke volumes about his character. In the wake of the tragedy, local farmers rallied together to complete the harvest for the Dulmage family, a testament to the community spirit and the high regard in which he was held. No arrests were made as the sole suspect in the triple murder was also deceased at the scene.
