Murder-suicide suspected in deaths of couple, three children found shot inside Texas home, report says
(CBS) RICE, Texas - A couple and their three young children were found shot to death inside a home near Rice, Texas and police say the case is being investigated as a murder-suicide, reports CBS DFW.
A Spanish-speaking man called police at around 7 p.m. Sunday and reported that five members of his family were dead inside the home. Responding emergency medical personnel arrived shortly afterward and confirmed the deaths of the five people.
Those victims have been identified as 33-year-old Israel Alvarez, 33-year-old Guadalupe Ronquillo-Ovalle, and their children -- ages 10, 8 and 4.
Alvarez's father was the person who reported the deaths. He visited the home after several days of being unable to get in touch with those family members. The last confirmed contact with any of the victims was on Thursday. The kids were not present at school on Friday.
Sheriff Elmer Tanner said Monday that the case is being investigated at as murder-suicide. Each of the victims had a gunshot wound to the upper torso and a gun was found at the scene, reports the station. The actual shooter has not yet been determined. Authorities do not believe that a suspect is on the loose, or that the community is in any danger. The investigation has been confined to the inside of the home, according to the station.
"This is a traumatic incident. Anytime that there is a loss of five lives, at any point in time, it's a traumatic incident," said Tanner. "Obviously, this is a situation where children are involved. A homicide by itself is traumatic. But when you involve children of the ages of 10, 8 and 4 -- most of our officers, first responders, they all have children, and that is a bad situation for anybody to be asked to go in and investigate."
Police have reportedly visited the residence in question four times since 2010. The first incident came when children were playing with the phone and dialed 911, reports the station. Authorities were at the home again in 2011 and 2012 for reports of trash dumping. But most recently, on September 11 of this year, Alvarez was arrested for family violence. He reportedly pled guilty and remained in custody for two days before paying his fines and being released.
Family friend Maria Franco said that the couple came to her one week ago, seeking advice to help their marriage.
"They asked me just how can they do something, and I said just, I mean, go close to God and look for help with another person. Not with me. I'm not the right person to say what they have to do. I just tell them keep together, keep close, all the time, and be strong for your kids," Franco told the station.