On a Sunday in late August, 27-year-old Payao Vang and her husband, Smith C. Brown, 65, traveled to a farm plot they leased in a rural area of Dakota County, Minnesota. The property, located in Empire near the intersection of 210th Street East and Clayton Avenue, was a place they visited from their home in Oakdale. When the couple failed to return as expected, concern began to grow among their family members.
Later that evening, Brown's son and another relative decided to drive to the
farm to check on them. Their worst fears were realized when they discovered the bodies of Vang and Brown in a field on the property. The family members immediately notified the authorities of their grim discovery on the night of August 25, 2024.
When the Dakota County Sheriff's Office arrived at the scene, they found both individuals had sustained fatal gunshot wounds. The Hennepin County Medical Examiner's Office later confirmed that Vang's death was a homicide caused by a gunshot wound to the head. Investigators believe that Brown shot his wife before taking his own life. Evidence recovered at the scene included two handguns, one of which was found in Brown's hand and another in his jacket pocket. The investigation has been characterized by officials as an apparent murder-suicide. The authorities are continuing to investigate the circumstances that led to the tragic event.
