A family of five were found dead Wednesday in a Phoenix home, where natural gas was also detected, police said.
Detectives are investigating the deaths as homicides, Phoenix Police Sgt. Melissa Soliz said.
“This scene is a complete tragedy behind us,” she told reporters.
Police and fire officials responded to the home near West Augusta Avenue shortly after 8 a.m. on a report of a possible hazardous materials investigation and an unresponsive person inside, and they detected natural gas, she said.
Two adults and three children were found dead in the home “with obvious signs of trauma,” Soliz said.
Police had not determined by Wednesday afternoon whether it was a murder-suicide case. Soliz said investigators don’t believe a killer is on the loose.
“We need to look at every possible angle, all the evidence, and that’s going to take some time,” she said, adding that the case is in its early stages.
Southwest Gas turned off the gas to the home out of caution, police said. It was not clear where the natural gas came from or how.
All five people were related, Soliz said. Their names and ages were not immediately released pending notification of next of kin, she said.
