HOUSTON, Texas — A father, his pregnant mother, and their two young children were found dead Monday evening in an upscale Houston neighborhood in what police are investigating as a murder-suicide.
Houston police responded to a home near the intersection of Avalon Place and Kingston Street in the River Oaks area shortly before 5:30 p.m. after receiving reports of concern from family members who had not heard from the family since Sunday night.
According to a Houston police spokesperson at the scene, a babysitter and a sister of one of the residents called authorities because they had been unable to reach the family. Police were the first to make entry into the residence.
Inside, officers discovered four deceased individuals: a father, a pregnant mother, and two children, ages four and eight. The children were found in their beds.
The mother had dinner with a relative on Sunday night, police said. Authorities believe the deaths occurred sometime between that dinner and Monday afternoon, when the call was placed around 5:26 p.m.
“We believe it’s a murder-suicide,” the spokesperson told reporters, adding that the victims all appear to be family members. The spokesperson declined to release their identities, confirm which individual was responsible, or state whether a weapon had been recovered, noting that the investigation is still in its early stages.
The spokesperson also declined to confirm whether the mother was pregnant, responding to a reporter’s question on the matter with, “Not that we know of. No.”
When asked about the toll such scenes take on law enforcement, the spokesperson said: “Extremely difficult. We’re humans, too. Especially whenever we have this situation where there’s a family and small people, you know, just families involved. It’s just terrible.”
Neighbors have not yet reported hearing gunshots, though police said they are continuing to interview residents in the area.
The River Oaks neighborhood is widely considered a safe area. “It is shocking for sure,” the spokesperson said. “It doesn’t really matter what neighborhood this kind of thing happens in.”
No further details have been released as the investigation continues.
