Police have discovered “three severely decomposing bodies” inside a California home, leading to questions of a possible murder-suicide.
Canadian authorities contacted the IPD to conduct the welfare check after relatives of the home’s residents — a father, mother and adult son — had not heard from the trio in over a year,FOX 11 Los Angeles reported.
Officials believe the three bodies had been there for 12 to 16 months,according toThe Orange County Register.
The Irvine Police Department did not immediately respond to PEOPLE’s request for comment.
Lt. Bill Binghamtold ABC7that the bodies are so decomposed that identification is proving difficult
Officers located a gun inside the residence, according to theRegisterand NBC Los Angeles.
Police said the father of the family living at the home was in his 60s, the mother was in her 50s and the son was in his 30s, theRegisterreported.
Officials are also trying to determine how the deaths seemingly went unnoticed for so long. The home where the victims were found is located inside a gated community in Orchard Hills, according to theRegister.
As Bingham noted to ABC7, a Homeowners' Association is “responsible for at least some of the lawn care and maintenance for the front of the homes” in the community.
“So, looking at the home at a glance, it’s not immediately apparent that somebody hasn’t been in and out of the home for maybe up to a year,” he said.
Anyone with information about the case is urged to contact Detective Gavin Hudson at ghudson@cityofirvine.org or 949-724-7168.
source: people.com
