New details on Brainerd AMBER Alert; woman, children are safe

BRAINERD, Minn. — Authorities say a man is in custody after he allegedly kidnapped a pregnant woman and her four children, prompting an AMBER alert near Brainerd Friday morning. The victims remained unharmed.

The mother of the pregnant victim said she was in Duluth with her husband for treatment when she heard the news.

Authorities initially feared the worst at the time, assuming her daughter and grandchildren were dead in the burning home. The mother said the statewide Amber Alert began when 35-year-old Chad Anerud attacked her daughter at the family home.

Some of the children went to get help. That’s when, she said, a neighbor, 62-year-old Lyle Maske, arrived and was shot by Anerud in the driveway.

“When I saw my daughter, she was beaten to hell, he’s very traumatized,” said the victim’s mother.

She said her daughter and Aanerud were former partners and her daughter is pregnant with Aanerud’s child.

While the family is grateful for those victims who escaped their ordeal, they lost the home they all had

Around 7:15 a.m., authorities pulled over Anerudh’s vehicle in Morrison County. He was arrested, and the woman and children were found unharmed in the car, the sheriff’s office said.

Authorities identified the fatally wounded victim as 62-year-old Lyle Musk. The shooting and kidnapping are under investigation, according to authorities.

The sheriff’s office said Anerudh is also suspected of setting fire to a home on the property where the fatal shooting occurred.

The mother said that Aanerud set fire to the house and fled with the victims.

The Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension later confirmed that the Crow Wing County Sheriff’s Office had canceled the AMBER alert and thanked everyone who helped in the search.

You can read VNL’s original report on the story here.