Police officers in Spokane, Washington, are investigating a potential murder-suicide after finding a mother and her two children dead in their home.
The woman's husband called 911 just before midnight after arriving home to find his wife and two children dead. The family pets were also found dead.
The house is in the 2600 block of west Woodside Avenue in Northwest Spokane.
When Spokane police officers arrived, they found the body of an adult woman and two under the age of 12, Washington's KHQ TV station reported. Spokane's Major Crimes Unit is on the scene.
The identity of the mother and her children will be released at a later date by the Spokane Medical Examiner's Office. KHQ also reported that the family pets were also killed.
Corporal Nick Briggs told KHQ that the case was "potentially a murder suicide". Speaking from close to the scene of the killings, Briggs said Woodside Avenue "is going to be closed for quite some time." The house is very close to Salk Middle School on North Alberta Street.
"The identity of those deceased will be released by the medical examiner's office at a later date," Briggs said.
Police kept TV cameras far away from the home because they didn't want the family's relatives to learn about the killings before they could be notified by officers who have undergone special training.
KHQ reported that the method of death has not yet been released by police.
A man out walking his dog early on Friday told KHQ that he was shocked by the killings and that it is a low crime area.
Spokane Police Department [SPD] said in a statement that the Major Crimes Unit is conducting a "death investigation after three people, including two children, are found deceased."
"On 11-16-23, just before midnight, SPD responded to a 911 call in the 2600 block of W Woodside Ave in Northwest Spokane. The caller reported returning home to find his wife and two children deceased.
"SPD officers responded and located the bodies of the three individuals, two children under the age of 12, and one adult female, inside the home.
"SPD's Major Crimes Unit (MCU) is investigating. Preliminary information indicates the incident is potentially a murder-suicide, and no outstanding suspects are currently being sought," the statement added.
"The identities of the deceased will be released at a later date by the Spokane County Medical Examiner's Office. Additional information will be released as appropriate," the SPD statement said.
An additional police video statement said that they "cannot stress enough" that the investigation is in its initial stages but that it appeared to be a "murder-suicide event."
Uncommon Knowledge
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
");jQuery(this).remove()}) jQuery('.start-slider').owlCarousel({loop:!1,margin:10,nav:!0,items:1}).on('changed.owl.carousel',function(event){var currentItem=event.item.index;var totalItems=event.item.count;if(currentItem===0){jQuery('.owl-prev').addClass('disabled')}else{jQuery('.owl-prev').removeClass('disabled')} if(currentItem===totalItems-1){jQuery('.owl-next').addClass('disabled')}else{jQuery('.owl-next').removeClass('disabled')}})}})})ncG1vNJzZmivp6x7r7HWrK6enZtjsLC5jqynqKORo7JuudSrm56qXajCqq%2FInZxmr5%2Birq95wqGgpZyimrtuvM6loJydXWaFdYCWcGo%3D