Causes of death, names announced in Vadnais Lake murder-suicide
VADNAIS HEIGHTS, Minn. -- During a Tuesday afternoon press conference, the Ramsey County Sheriff's Office provided a timeline of events for the Vadnais Lake incident that took place over the holiday weekend.
Maplewood Police officers and firefighters were dispatched to the 1300 block of Pearson Drive when the caller, Molly Cheng, 23, reported that her husband had shot himself.
The man was identified as Yee Lee, 27, and his cause of death has been determined to be a gunshot wound and the manner of death was suicide. Maplewood police say they arranged for social workers to assist Cheng and her children.
At approximately, 4 p.m. a relative of Cheng called 911 stating that Cheng was going to kill her children and herself. Maplewood police issued a statewide alert to "attempt to locate and check the welfare" of Cheng and her children.
Law enforcement agencies were able to track Cheng's cell phone, placing her in the area of Vadnais-Sucker Lake Park around 5:45 p.m.
Deputies located several pairs of kids' shoes and vehicle keys on the east shore of the lake.
Deputies recovered the first of three children, Quadrillion T. Lee, 4, from Vadnais Lake at 7:32 p.m. on Friday. His cause of death was determined to be drowning and smothering.
The second child, Phoenix Lee, 5, was located and recovered from the lake at approximately 12:03 a.m. on Saturday. His cause of death was determined to be drowning.
Officers recovered Cheng from the lake around 10:39 a.m. on Saturday. Her cause of death was determined to be drowning and her manner of death was suicide.
At 11 a.m. the third child, Estella Zoo Siab Lee, 3, was recovered from the water. Her cause of death was determined to be drowning and smothering.
The RCSO is investigating the death of three children and their mother as a triple murder-suicide.
The case remains under investigation.
Mental health resources
If you are having thoughts of suicide, you can text the Suicide Prevention Hotline at 741741 or call 1-800-273-8255.
