Two young children were among four people found dead in a New York City apartment Monday, police said.
Police identified the four Tuesday morning as Edison Lopez, 41; Alexandra Witek, 40; Lucien Lopez, 3; and Calvin Lopez, 1. Lucien had initially been misidentified as a girl because his body was covered in so much blood, a police source told NBC News.
The adults had suffered trauma to their necks while the 3-year-old was discovered with trauma to the torso and the 1-year-old was discovered with wounds around his body, police said.
"I’m not sure how those injuries were sustained," a police spokesperson said Monday. "That is part of an ongoing investigation. It was possibly a murder-suicide, but that's not been definitively determined yet."
Police would not comment Tuesday on who was believed to be the perpetrator of the attack or where in the household the victims were found, citing the active investigation. A spokesperson said police had not received any 911 calls concerning the residence prior to Monday, when a relative requested a wellness check.
Officers responding to the request shortly before 3 p.m. were locked out of the unit, a fourth-floor Upper West Side apartment in Manhattan, the police department said.
New York fire personnel helped them breach the residence so they could reach the victims, police said. Emergency medical personnel pronounced all four dead at the scene.
Neighbors said the man had worked as the super of the building, which is located a few blocks from Central Park.
“He kept things in check, he was reliable, as a super," neighbor Jeff Kimmel told NBC New York. "I’m telling you, we all really liked him.”
Three knives were recovered, NBC New York reported. No arrests have been revealed, and no suspects were named. An official cause of death had not yet been determined late Monday as detectives and a medical examiner pored over the evidence in the apartment, NBC New York added.
If you or someone you know is in crisis, call 988 to reach the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline. You can also call the network, previously known as the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline, at 800-273-8255, text HOME to 741741 or visit SpeakingOfSuicide.com/resources for additional resources.
