East Metro. By Chao Xiong. Homicide charges are expected Thursday against Schaffhausen, 34, who surrendered to police about p. Police Chief Roger Leque described him as "non-talkative. Authorities said Wednesday that the house on Morningside Drive was filled with gas spewing from a first-floor fireplace when police arrived, but they haven't released details of how the children died or where their bodies were found.
They did, however, outline a rocky history between Schaffhausen and his ex-wife, Jessica. The couple had divorced in January and shared legal custody of the three girls, Amara, 11; Sophie, 8; and Cecilia Lee, 5, who lived with their mother in River Falls.
Police responded to a domestic disturbance report at the house in , and a harassment report filed in March alleged that Aaron Schaffhaussen had called and threatened to harm one of the girls. On Tuesday, Aaron Schaffhausen contacted his ex-wife, saying he wanted to visit the girls, Leque said. It appears the mother gave permission, and the father went to the house. A baby sitter was with the girls at the time but left when the father showed up. Police went to the house after Jessica Schaffhausen called them, worried about a threatening text message or phone call she had received from her ex-husband.
When they arrived, police found the fireplace turned on and discovered what appeared to be flammable liquid in the basement. All three girls were dead; the Ramsey County medical examiner's office will determine how they died. Schaffhausen, a carpenter, was fired from his most recent job last week.
He was working for Solid Construction Solutions, a St. Paul firm that employed him to work on projects in western North Dakota, which is undergoing a construction boom related to a large increase in oil drilling.
