An arrest was made Thursday in the case of a quadruple homicide involving four victims found dead in two separate house fires in Nebraska.
Cedar County 911 received a call shortly after 3 a.m. Thursday about an explosion at a home in Laurel, Nebraska, according to CNN. As investigators arrived at the scene, a second fire was called in from just a few blocks away, the outlet reported.
Authorities located one body at the first property and three bodies at the second, law enforcement said in a press conference Thursday afternoon. Gunfire is suspected to have potentially “played a part” in the events at both homes, according to authorities.
🇺🇸#UPDATE: 4 dead following deliberate house fires in small town of Laurel, Nebraska; Suspect still at large pic.twitter.com/izSy5Hwbtx
— Intel Point ALERT (@IntelPointAlert) August 4, 2022
Fire crews processed both scenes and attempted not to destroy any evidence pertinent to their investigation, as “foul play” was suspected in both fires, law enforcement noted.
“Shortly after the second fire was reported, law enforcement received a report that a silver sedan had been seen leaving the town of Laurel,” local police stated, according to CNN. “This vehicle was reported westbound on Highway 20.”
Fire crews noted that accelerants could have been used in both fires, so anyone inside of the homes may have been burned, CNN reported. “Therefore, it is possible that our suspect or suspects received burn injuries during these incidents,” police stated, according to the outlet. (RELATED: Four Dead, Two Injured In House Explosion Outside Of Philadelphia)
Laurel has a population of around 1,000 people, according to the town’s official website.
“Stuff like this doesn’t happen in this town,” James Roberts, a local business owner, told CNN. “Everybody here knows everybody.”