4 killed in North Dakota office building; police searching for suspect

Four people were found dead inside a property management company in Mandan, North Dakota, officials said Monday.

Police have not yet identified the victims, but said they were three men and one woman. Authorities are not saying how they were killed.

Police say they do not have a suspect in custody, but they do not believe the public is in danger, CBS affiliate KXMB-TV reported. They call the scene "rare."

The company, RJR Maintenance and Management, is in a business district about 100 yards back from a busy main road in Mandan known as the Strip. A large empty lot sits in the front, a golf course in back and a soccer complex to one side.

Mandan is a town of about 22,000 adjoining the state capital of Bismarck.

Gina Kessel, 52, of Mandan, showed up at the business Monday to pick up her son, Mitchell Kessel, an employee there. She said Mitchell "called me, said something is going on." She said he didn't tell her what.

The pair hugged, with both of them crying. Her son did not speak before going back behind a police line.

Suzette Wall said she has been calling her friends who work at RJR all morning, but she has not heard anything.

"I had a walk through scheduled and they never showed and I came here to see what was going on and I stayed," Wall told KXMB. "they have been great people to lease from. Always very courteous and kind and caring and I just want to know that they are alright."

Gina Kessel, center, comforts her son Mitchell outside of RJR Maintenance and Management, a property management company, Monday, April 1, 2019, Mandan, N.D. Authorities say police responding to a medical call at the North Dakota business have found "several" bodies.  AP

Judy Praus, 70, came to RJR seeking information, saying she was a longtime friend of the owner and his family. She said she had no details on what happened.

"When I was notified, I shattered. Unbelievable," she said.

Darin Helbling, a manager at a nearby bowling alley, said police asked to see his business' surveillance video. Helbling said the video showed only a couple of vehicles on the road that separates the businesses since 10 p.m. Sunday.

RJR's website identified it as a family-owned company that has been handling commercial and residential properties in Bismarck and Mandan for more than 20 years. Its services include collecting rent for landlords, paying mortgages, re-renting apartments, building and grounds maintenance, lawn care, and snow removal. It also rents out storage units.

A "Meet Our Team" feature on the website pictured 22 employees.

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