In the quiet farm lands of Towner County, North Dakota, a grim discovery was made in a wheat field on the evening of August 29, 2022. Justin Bracken, a 34-year-old White male from Leeds, was found deceased along with three other men. The tragic event that unfolded was not the result of an unknown assailant, but a violent escalation of a family dispute that ended in a triple murder-suicide.
Justin Bracken, along with his uncle Richard Bracken, 64, and their employer, 56-year-old farmer
Douglas Dulmage, were shot and killed by Justin's own father, 59-year-old Robert Bracken. The men had been working the harvest together in a wheat field near the Towner-Benson County line. The motive for the horrific act appeared to stem from a growing conflict between the two brothers, Robert and Richard Bracken, which had reportedly been intensifying for a week or more prior to the shootings.
Preliminary autopsy reports later confirmed the violent nature of the incident. Justin Bracken, Richard Bracken, and Douglas Dulmage all died from multiple gunshot wounds. The perpetrator, Robert Bracken, was found to have a single, self-inflicted gunshot wound. A. 357-caliber revolver was recovered at the scene and was found in Robert Bracken's possession.
The investigation concluded that Robert Bracken was the sole suspect, having orchestrated the murder of his son, his brother, and their employer before taking his own life. As the person responsible for the killings died at the scene, no arrests were made in connection with this tragic event that shook the small farming community.
