North Dakota Wheat Field a Tragic Scene

Authorities in North Dakota identified four people Wednesday who were found shot to death in a wheat field this week.

Towner County Sheriff Andrew Hillier identified them in a statement as Douglas Dulmage, 56; Justin Bracken, 34; Richard Bracken, 64; and Robert Bracken, 59.

A gun found at the scene was a .357 revolver, Hillier said.

Hillier did not identify a possible motive or provide additional information about the incident. In a statement Tuesday, he said evidence at the scene suggested the incident was a murder-suicide.

NBC affiliate KVLY of Fargo reported that Dulmage was killed while he was combining wheat and had hired the three men to work on his farm. The bodies were discovered around 6 p.m. Monday, when a relative of one of the farmhands when to check on him, Forum News Service of Fargo-Moorhead reported.

Friends describe Dulmage as a devoted farmer, an avid hunter, a loving husband and a father of two.

"He was a pillar of the community; it's a total devastating loss. Everybody loved Doug Dulmage," said Pat Traynor, a friend of nearly two decades. "Everybody, Doug didn't have enemies. Everybody loved, loved Doug. Just a tremendous role model for all of us."

In a statement Wednesday, North Dakota Farm Bureau said the organization was heartbroken over the tragedy that hit rural North Dakota. Dulmage was a longtime NDFB member and currently served as the president for Benson County Farm Bureau.

"It is hard to understand why something like this would happen in a rural farming community," said NDFB President Daryl Lies. "When evil presents itself, it can be devastating but we must remember there is more good than evil in our world. Doug's dedication to agriculture and love for his family will forever be remembered."

The gem of a small farming community.

That's how Dulmage is being remembered.

A small farming community mourning the loss of its gem. Other farmers plan on helping Dulmage's family plow his fields.

"If we could all be a bit more like Doug, the world would be a much better place,"Traynor said.