2 adults, 6 children found dead following house fire in West Michigan, sheriff's office says

Authorities are investigating the "suspicious deaths" of a family of eight, including six children, following a house fire Friday morning in Grand Haven Township, Michigan.

According to the Ottawa County Sheriff's Office, authorities first received calls between 8:30 a.m. and 9 a.m. local time about a smell of smoke in the area of Riverside Trail. Deputies assisted the Grand Haven Fire Department, but no fire was immediately located.

The sheriff's office says deputies and fire personnel returned to the area at about 11:42 a.m. after receiving calls about white smoke coming from a residence in the 14900 block of Riverside Trail. Fire crews were able to control the fire and checked the home for any victims, locating them inside.

In an update Friday evening, the sheriff's office says a preliminary investigation showed that some of the victims had been shot, but it's unclear which ones. Autopsies are expected to be complete in the coming days.

Their names were not released, but the sheriff's office says the children were between 5 and 15 years old, and the adults were in their 40s. Investigators believe all of the victims lived in the home. 

Anyone with information is asked to contact the sheriff's office or Silent Observer at 877-88-SILENT or mosotips.com.