Investigators recovered the first of four bodies from Lake Vadnais in Vadnais Heights on Friday night and the other three on Saturday morning. All three children, two boys and a girl, were under the age of 6, Ramsey County Undersheriff Mike Martin said Saturday at a press briefing at the scene. “Our hearts go out to the families involved here and their friends,” Martin said. “Our aim was to find the children and the mother and return them to their families and we are delighted to have succeeded.” Authorities did not release their identities or comment on the exact manner of death. The bodies are now at the Ramsey County Coroner’s Office. Authorities began searching for a woman and her children Friday afternoon after police in Maplewood responded to a traffic court on a report of an adult male’s suicide. This in turn led to a search by authorities for a woman, who was reported to be suicidal, and her three children. Martin said the woman’s cell phone led police to Vadnais-Sucker Lake Regional Park, where they found her abandoned car and other items, including children’s shoes, around 4 p.m. – rescue operation in Lake Vadnais. Although the lake is located near busy Interstate-694 off Rice Street, the setting itself is peaceful, with a hiking and biking trail and shoreline fishing. The first body was found around 7:30 p.m. of Friday. The search continued until 3 a.m. and resumed three hours later Saturday morning. The two boys were pulled from the lake first, then the mother and then the girl. By 11am, all four had been pulled from the water. The lake is fairly shallow, with depths ranging from 5 to 10 feet, said Ramsey County Water Patrol Commander Eric Brandt. Martin said boats with sonar capabilities helped locate the bodies on the east side of the lake, but the search was also done visually. “Basically, in the end, it’s about locating potential objects of interest and sending divers [who] physically search and locate the victims,” he said. Brad said the search was also emotionally difficult. “I’ve been doing this for 30 years,” he said. “That was one of the hardest.” Ramsey County Sheriff Bob Fletcher called it a “possible triple homicide” Friday night, and authorities said Saturday they were continuing to investigate it as a “possible triple murder-suicide.” Martin said police believe the Maplewood and Lake Vadnais incidents are related. Authorities have not yet released the names of any of the people…