Mother and children who died in Anoka County park incident identified

Mara H. Gottfried, Pioneer Press
Updated ·1 min read
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A mother and her two young children were the people who died in an incident at a park in Anoka County, the sheriff’s office said Thursday.

Ramsey police and Anoka County sheriff’s deputies responded to a welfare check on Monday about 10 a.m. at Rum River Center Park in Ramsey. They found Jessica Linette Frank, 33, and Solara Rea Frank, 9, deceased in a parked sport-utility vehicle.

Law enforcement discovered Laiken Lea Frank, 4, was injured in the vehicle. He died at a local hospital.

No one was arrested and law enforcement is not looking for any suspects, Tierney Peters, sheriff’s office community relations coordinator, said earlier this week. The sheriff’s office has not released more information about the circumstances of their deaths.

The family lived in Monticello, according to the sheriff’s office.

Solara was a third grader at Twin Lakes Elementary in Elk River and her brother Laiken was in Discovery Learning preschool, according to a letter sent to Twin Lakes Elementary families Monday night.

The school’s PTO shared on social media that an online fundraiser has been started for the children’s funeral expenses. The fundraising site says: “This family’s world has been turned upside down with the tragic loss of Solara and Laiken” and asked if people could find it in their hearts to help the family with funeral and living expenses for their father and other children.

Jessica Frank and her husband divorced last year and both had custody of their two children, Solara and Laiken, according to their divorce decree.

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