A man and a woman are dead this morning in rural Harris, apparently the victims of a murder suicide. Law enforcement was called to a home on Holman Avenue shortly after 9 p.m. Wednesday night by an eight-year-old girl who said her dad was strangling her mother. Upon arrival, deputies found the woman dead, and later the man dead in a pole building on the property. See updated story.

The home on the 45000 block of Holman Avenue is at the end of a secluded driveway. Photo by MaryHelen Swanson

By MaryHelen Swanson
A rural Harris couple is dead, apparently the victims of a murder-suicide.

They are Douglas Ouellette, age 38, and Candace Ouellette, age 38.

Around 9:15 p.m. Wednesday, Aug. 5, a 911 call came in to Chisago County from an eight-year-old child in the home.

She said her father was choking her mother.

When county deputies arrived at the home on the 45000 block of Holman Avenue, northeast of the city of Harris, they found a woman dead from apparent strangulation.

They didn’t know where the man but determined that he had fled out the back door.

Then, said Chief Deputy Bob Shoemaker, in an interview Thursday morning, the perimeter was secured and SWAT teams from the county and the Bureau of Criminal Apprehension (BCA) were called as well as the Minnesota State Patrol helicopter and a county K-9 deputy and dog.

Using a thermal imaging camera, it was determined that there was someone or something inside a pole barn on the property.

Right: Deputy Sheriff Bob Shoemaker

A door on the building was open and officers were advised to be careful.

At 9:44 the lights went off in the pole building.

It was noted that the heat source in the building, detected by the camera, was not moving.

Shortly before 10:30 p.m. the suspect was found in the building. He had hanged himself.

Two eight-year-old girls were in the home at the time of the incident, a third child, an older boy, was at a friend’s home.

Shoemaker said the children are in a safe place. Child protection has been notified.

Shoemaker also said there had been no problems at this house prior to June.

Douglas Ouellette had a permit to carry and his background was clean.

In June, deputies responded to the home on a suicide threat. At the time, Shoemaker said, D. Ouellette voluntarily went to the hospital.

Candace Ouellette filed an Order for Protection against Douglas and the court ordered all weapons to be taken from the home. This was done by the sheriff’s department.

Shoemaker said the sheriff’s department doesn’t follow up on suicide attempts, it becomes a medical issue.

As of late morning Thursday, Shoemaker was unaware of any firm motive. The investigation is continuing.

When D. Ouellette was found, the SWAT teams were cancelled. The Chisago County Sheriff’s office was assisted by officers from the North Branch Police Department and Shoemaker believed also from the Wyoming and Lakes Area departments.

Shoemaker was asked if the sheriff’s department is seeing an increase in domestic violence.

He said he really hadn’t seen an increase, as might be expected with a poor economy.

But he said these things usually start showing up about a year later.

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