Anthony Nephew, Duluth, Minnesota husband & father shoots dead wife, Kathryn Ramsland, their son Oliver and his ex, Erin Abramson & their son, Jacob amid ongoing mental health issues as he feared domestic violence and rallied for women’s rights.
A Minnesota man struggling with mental health woes shot dead his wife, ex partner and two sons and then self in a suspected murder-suicide which took place at two addresses.
Anthony Nephew, 46, was found dead with a self inflicted gunshot wound inside his home on West 6th Street in Duluth, MN, on Thursday afternoon.
His wife, 45-year-old Kathryn Ramsland, and seven-year-old son Oliver were found dead with gunshot wounds inside the home they shared with Nephew.
Carnage at two homes and at two extended Duluth families
The pair had celebrated their 10th wedding anniversary last month.
Earlier, police made the macabre discovery of Nephew’s ex, Erin Abramson, 47, and 15-year-old son, Jacob Nephew, who she shared with Anthony Nephew, dead from multiple gunshot wounds.
The discovery came after Erin ‘uncharacteristically’ failed to turn up to work earlier that day, with police asked to perform a welfare check, the Minnesota Star Tribune reported.
Police then turned their attention to Anthony Nephew’s home one mile away where they came across a second blood-bath.
The extended family had appeared close. Kathryn, who went by Kat, was often sharing public messages on Facebook about Erin, her husband’s former partner.
She described Erin as her ‘son’s brother’s mom’ and said she was the ‘best baker,’ sharing photos of Erin’s baked goods and videos of son Oliver asking for them..
Descent into mental health crises
Three years prior to his death, Nephew spoke candidly about the mental health crisis in the United States, warning ‘breakdowns lead to suicide – or homicide before suicide.’
The father seemingly in recent months had descended into somewhat of a conspiracy theorist, posting about aliens and ‘harnessing the power of the center of the galaxy’ on social media.
‘Life is just a fantasy of your own construction drawn from the lattice of your own experiential reality,’ Nephew shared last month.
The husband and father also appeared increasingly concerned about the prospect of a Trump-led government.
‘My mental health and the world can no longer peacefully coexist, and a lot of the reason is religion,’ Nephews shared in July.
‘I am terrified of religious zealots inflicting their misguided beliefs on me and my family. I have intrusive thoughts of being burned at the stake as a witch, or crucified on a burning cross.
‘Having people actually believe that I or my child are Satan or, the anti-Christ or whatever their favorite color of boogie man they are afraid are this week.’
He had also accused Republicans of ‘making it harder for women to leave’ domestic violence relationships and of stripping away women’s rights.
Candid discussion about mental health struggles
He’d spoken candidly about his mental health struggles for years, describing himself in 2022 as a suicide ‘survivor’ and penning a column in the Duluth News Tribune about the importance of mental illness healthcare.
‘Mental health in this country is stigmatized, ignored, or treated as a burden for the individual to bear alone, with little help and less understanding,’ he wrote.
‘Americans deny they have mental health struggles. Because they have to, because they’re told to, or because they don’t realize their mind is broken.
‘Finally the synapses overload, and they suffer a breakdown. For most of us, that’s the best end result. For millions of Americans, a breakdown leads to suicide — or homicide before suicide.’
The Duluth Police department said in a statement: ‘Our thoughts and prayers go out to the victims’ families and loved ones involved in this tragic event.’
Police said there is no ongoing threat to the community. Police confirmed that they had previously responded to calls at the family home Anthony Nephew shared with wife Kathryn.
An exact timeline had yet to be established as cellphone calls and texts were now being time stamped leading up to the family tragedy. A family tragedy that Anthony Nephew had seemingly warned against and rallied against… and finally capitulated to.
