Shane Alexander Woods Jr., a 9-year-old boy, was found dead on March 18, 2019, inside his family’s home off Highway 34 in rural Ogema, Minnesota, on the White Earth Reservation. Deputies discovered three bodies that afternoon: Shane, his 4-year-old brother, Frederick York, and their mother, 28-year-old Emma LaRoque. In the days that followed, authorities publicly identified the victims and began to piece together what happened inside the house that day.
The Ramsey County Medical Examiner determined that LaRoque died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound, while both children died of homicidal violence. The Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension stated there was no ongoing threat to the public, an assessment consistent with the murder-suicide findings. Local and regional outlets echoed those conclusions, noting that investigators were called to the residence after a report of a possible incident and that all three victims were found inside the home.
Investigators did not announce any arrests. With the medical examiner ruling the mother’s death a suicide and the children’s deaths homicides, law enforcement did not identify any additional suspects, and the case was described as a double homicide followed by suicide. Reporting at the time indicated that officials did not believe anyone else was involved.
Shane was remembered in obituaries and community notices as a fourth-grade student connected to White Earth and Ogema, with services held the week after his death. Memorial pages and local announcements recorded his full name and date of birth, placing his life in the context of a tight-knit community grieving two young brothers lost in a single, devastating incident.
