In the early morning hours of June 4, 2021, 52-year-old Karen Lynn Ertelt-Wanner was found dead inside a north-side residence in Wahpeton, North Dakota. Officers were called after a woman reported being threatened by a man with a gun; a single gunshot was heard as police approached. Responding members of the Southern Valley Special Response Team discovered the bodies of Ertelt-Wanner and 62-year-old Gregory Zander.

The medical examiner determined Ertelt-Wanner died of multiple gunshot wounds and Zander died of a single, self-inflicted gunshot wound, concluding the incident was a murder-suicide. Karen was born in Valley City, grew up near Fingal, worked in patient intake at CHI Hospitals after earlier jobs in Lisbon and Forman, and was a mother of four and a grandmother known for her big heart and willingness to listen.

Is there anyone who knew Karen or was in the area that morning who can share what they remember?