Owner of ND farm among 4 dead in suspected murder-suicide

Aug 31, 2022, 1:44 PM | Updated: 2:01 pm

BISMARCK, N.D. (AP) — Volunteers were organizing in North Dakota on Wednesday to finish the harvest of a farmer found dead in his wheat field along with three other men in what investigators described as a murder-suicide.

Douglas Dulmage, 56, was shot in his combine while harvesting wheat in his field south of Cando, said Pat Traynor, a close friend. Authorities said the other three men — Justin Bracken, 34; Richard Bracken, 64; and Robert Bracken, 59 — had all been working the harvest with Dulmage.

A .357-caliber revolver was found near one of the bodies by deputies who responded to a report of four unresponsive people in the wheat field Monday evening. Officials haven’t said who they think pulled the trigger or detailed any other circumstances surrounding the case. Towner County Sheriff Andrew Hillier said investigators are waiting for autopsy results.

Traynor said Dulmage owned the property. The other three men are related and lived in the area, the sheriff’s office said.

Traynor said Dulmage lived with his wife and two daughters in Leeds, but farmed with his 95-year-old father at their acreage outside of town. He said farmers in the area and friends of the Dulmage family have already held one meeting on how they will handle the work of harvesting the wheat, corn and soybeans.

The deaths are a blow to the farming community during a time that is usually a lead-up to celebrating harvest, the head of a North Dakota agriculture group said.

“It’s hard to grasp and understand why something like this can happen in rural North Dakota,” the state’s Farm Bureau President Daryl Lies said. Lies said Dulmage had served as president of the Benson County Farm Bureau.

Traynor said the Dulmage family is “living a complete nightmare.”

“Doug was a pillar in the community. He was a quiet servant leader. His actions spoke volumes about his tremendous strength of character,” he said. Traynor said his friend was also a volunteer firefighter and community leader in Leeds.

“Doug lived God, faith and family by his actions and not just his words,” he said. “He was a role model for all of us. We should be more like him,” he said.

Emily Stoll, 82, a neighbor of the Dulmage family in Leeds, a town of about 500, described Doug Dulmage as a kind and helpful neighbor.

“When he sprayed his yard for mosquitoes he’d spray mine too,” she said.

Cando is 118 miles (189.9 kilometers) west of Grand Forks and 40 miles (64.3 kilometers) south of the Canadian border.

______

Ehlke reported from suburban Milwaukee. Researcher Rhonda Shafner contributed to this report.

Copyright © The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

AP

(Facebook Photo/City of San Luis, Arizona)...
Associated Press

San Luis authorities receive complaints about 911 calls going across border

Authorities in San Luis say they are receiving more complaints about 911 calls mistakenly going across the border.
6 days ago
(Pexels Photo)...
Associated Press

Daylight saving time begins in most of US this weekend

No time change is observed in Hawaii, most of Arizona, Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, American Samoa, Guam and the Northern Marianas.
14 days ago
Mexican army soldiers prepare a search mission for four U.S. citizens kidnapped by gunmen in Matamo...
Associated Press

How the 4 abducted Americans in Mexico were located

The anonymous tip that led Mexican authorities to a remote shack where four abducted Americans were held described armed men and blindfolds.
14 days ago
Tom Brundy points to a newly built irrigation canal on one of the fields at his farm Tuesday, Feb. ...
Associated Press

Southwest farmers reluctant to idle farmland to save water

There is a growing sense that fallowing will have to be part of the solution to the increasingly desperate drought in the West.
21 days ago
A young bison calf stands in a pond with its herd at Bull Hollow, Okla., on Sept. 27, 2022. The cal...
Associated Press

US aims to restore bison herds to Native American lands after near extinction

U.S. officials will work to restore more large bison herds to Native American lands under a Friday order from Interior Secretary Deb Haaland.
21 days ago
Children play in a dried riverbed in Flassans-sur-Issole, southern France, Wednesday, March 1, 2023...
Associated Press

Italy, France confront 2nd year of western Europe drought

ROME (AP) — Bracing for Italy’s second consecutive year of drought for the first time in decades, Premier Giorgia Meloni huddled with ministers Wednesday to start mapping out an action plan Wednesday, joining France and other nations in western Europe grappling with scant winter rain and snow. Meloni and her ministers decided to appoint an […]
23 days ago

Sponsored Articles

(Desert Institute for Spine Care in Arizona Photo)...
Desert Institute for Spine Care in Arizona

5 common causes for chronic neck pain

Neck pain can debilitate one’s daily routine, yet 80% of people experience it in their lives and 20%-50% deal with it annually.
...
Day & Night Air Conditioning, Heating and Plumbing

Company looking for oldest air conditioner and wants to reward homeowner with new one

Does your air conditioner make weird noises or a burning smell when it starts? If so, you may be due for an AC unit replacement.
...
Quantum Fiber

How high-speed fiber internet edges out cable for everyday use

In a world where technology drives so much of our daily lives, a lack of high-speed internet can be a major issue.
Owner of ND farm among 4 dead in suspected murder-suicide