Police search around a home in West Brookfield, Mass., Thursday, March 1, 2018. Several people have been found dead inside a home in Massachusetts. (Allan Jung/Worcester Telegram & Gazette via AP)
Republished March 01, 2018 - 8:29 PM
Original Publication Date March 01, 2018 - 3:46 PM
WEST BROOKFIELD, Mass. - A woman and three young children were found dead Thursday in the upstairs bedroom of a Massachusetts home, according to a district attorney who called their deaths suspicious.
Police were called to the home in West Brookfield Thursday afternoon for a well-being check and found the bodies of a woman, a 2-year-old boy, a 5-year-old boy and a 7-year-old girl, said Worcester County District Attorney Joseph Early Jr. at a late night news conference.
"It is very early in the investigation and there are a lot of questions still to be answered," Early said.
Investigators were treating the deaths as suspicious. No other information was immediately released.
"State Police Crime Scene Services are just getting into the house now along with forensic scientists from the State Police Crime Lab. We need to let them do their work," the district attorney said.
The superintendent of the Quaboag Regional School District wrote on Facebook Thursday that he was informed earlier of "a tragedy involving two West Brookfield Elementary School students."
Superintendent Brett Kustigian said police wanted him to "reassure the community that there is no cause for alarm."
He said there would be extra grief counselling available on Friday for all students and staff.
West Brookfield police also planned to have personnel at the school.
"While we don't anticipate or believe right now that there is a worry to the general public, erring on the side of caution, we will have personnel at the school tomorrow, along with grief counsellors," said police Chief Thomas O'Donnell.
West Brookfield is about 65 miles (105 kilometres) west of Boston.
News from © The Associated Press, 2018