CNN –
Five people were found dead Friday in a southern Maryland home in a murder-suicide incident, the Charles County Sheriff’s Office said in a statement Saturday.
The bodies were found at a home in La Plata, about 35 miles south of Washington, DC, by law enforcement officers around 4 p.m. Friday after a witness called 911 to report a shooting. , said Charles County Sheriff’s spokeswoman Diane Richardson. Friday.
When police arrived at the home, they found the owner at the front door who said he had come home from work and discovered five people dead inside.
Police said initial investigations showed a suspect identified as Andre Sales, 28, entered the home and killed four people before shooting himself with a handgun that was recovered at the scene.
The victims have been identified as his ex-girlfriend Sara Mann, 21, her mother Sommaly Mann, 48, and her younger brother Kai Mann, 18, authorities said. The fourth victim has been identified as Javon Watson, 23, but his relationship to the other victims is unclear.
Authorities say autopsies will be performed to determine the cause of death for each victim, and investigators are interviewing family and friends to establish a motive for the killings.
Two children, who were not identified by the sheriff’s office, were initially reported missing but later found safe elsewhere.
The sheriff’s office said the investigation is ongoing.