Authorities investigating apparent attempted murder-suicide in south-central Nebraska

The Kearney County Sheriff’s Office and Nebraska State Patrol are investigating what appears to be an attempted murder-suicide, in which a woman apparently killed herself and attempted to kill three children.

The sheriff’s office said it was called to a rural Kearney County residence Saturday afternoon, where deputies found the woman dead of an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound and three children with gunshot wounds. It did not say whether the children are related to the woman, and names of the victims have not been released.

The children, who are all under the age of 12, were taken by ambulance to CHI Health Good Samaritan hospital in Kearney, and two of them were later transported to Children’s Nebraska hospital in Omaha. All three are expected to survive.

The sheriff’s office and the State Patrol said they are continuing to investigate.