An Amber Alert has been issued for a pregnant woman and her four children who authorities say were abducted by gunpoint early Friday near Brainerd, Minn.

Nikkole Dobson, 33, is described as 5 feet, 7 inches tall, 198 pounds, with green eyes and reddish brown hair. Her four children are Brandon, 14, Haley, 11, Gracie, 7, and Chloe, 3.

The Crow Wing County Sheriff’s Office reports that the woman and her children were abducted at gunpoint around 1:50 a.m. on Friday from a residence northeast of Brainerd, which is located about two hours northwest of St. Paul.

Authorities say that Dobson and her children were taken by her boyfriend, Chad Aanerud, 35, who is described as 6 feet, 2 inches tall and 185 pounds, with brown hair and hazel eyes. Aanerud is driving a white 2017 Chrysler Pacifica minivan with Minnesota license plates AEC 351.

In a bulletin issued by the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension, authorities report that Aanerud arrived at a residence on the 15000 block of Loerch Road where Dobson and her children were staying around 1:50 a.m. He fired a rifle round into the ceiling of the residence, according to the bulletin, and forced Dobson and her children to leave with him.

Aanerud is also suspected of fatally shooting a man at a separate nearby residence and burning down a home on that property.

The suspect left in an unknown direction of travel.

“If you encounter Aanerud DO NOT APPROACH,” the bulletin warns. “Call 911 immediately with any information.​”

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