A woman and man from Oakdale were found dead in a rural Dakota County field, in what has been ruled a murder-suicide.

Payao Vang, 27, was killed by a gunshot wound to her head in Empire.

Smith Coop Brown, 65, died by suicide, the Hennepin County Medical Examiner’s Office said Wednesday.

The two knew each other, said Dakota County Sheriff Joe Leko. The sheriff’s office is gathering information about how they were connected.

Vang and Brown were found deceased on Sunday in a field southwest of 210th Street East and Clayton Avenue. Fields in that area are leased for farming by hand, Leko said.

The investigation by the sheriff’s office is ongoing.

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