Six members of a military family were found dead in an SUV in the garage of their San Antonio home Thursday, in what local authorities have described as a murder-suicide.
Police were responding to a welfare check when they smelled strong chemical fumes emanating from the house, and when they approached the house they found a cryptic note warning people not to enter, Fox News reported.
The note contained terms used in the military, and investigators identified the man as a US service member but declined to indicate what branch he served in, according to the San Antonio Express-News. (RELATED: VA Report Shows Young Military Veteran Suicide Rate On The Rise)
After police entered the home they found the bodies of two adults and four children, ranging from 11 months to 4 years old, along with two cats. Investigators also confirmed that their deaths were the result of carbon monoxide poisoning.
Chief says there is evidence to indicate this was not accident, but instead murder-suicide. Described them as a military family that moved to this neighborhood in January. No explosives found inside house as earlier feared. All six were in SUV in garage.
— Robert Price (@RobertPriceTV) June 5, 2020
The family had moved to Stone Oak neighborhood in northern San Antonio in January, and the police had only received a call in the neighborhood once in the six months that the family had lived there, the New York Times reported.
San Antonio Police Chief William McManus addressed reporters Thursday night, stating that the family was found in the back of a small SUV while the cats were in a basket in the front seat. McManus also added that there were concerns about the house being rigged with explosives, according to the San Antonio Express-News.
An evacuation order was issued for homes nearby, and the order wasn’t lifted until 9 p.m. McManus concluded that no explosives were inside or near the house an hour later. However, McManus indicated that law enforcement would continue to look into the case.