ELYRIA, Ohio — Five people, including three children, were found dead in a suburban Cleveland home Wednesday morning, authorities said.
Police in Elyria said they are investigating the shooting. Capt. Bill Pelko said the victims are all from one family, The Chronicle reported. The children ranged in age between 6 and 12, the newspaper reported. According to WOIO, a relative of the family told the television that there were two adults, two boys and a girl in the home.
The names of the deceased are not being released until family members are notified, WEWS reported.
According to a news release, authorities discovered the bodies after responding to a wellness check at 8:11 a.m., WJW reported. The wellness check was called in by the family of Linda Bristow, who lives two doors from the family, The Chronicle reported. Bristow told the newspaper that one member of that household worked with her son, and he became concerned when the man did not show up to work Wednesday morning, the newspaper reported.
Bristow’s son stopped by the house and found bullet casings. He then called the police, The Chronicle reported.
Bristow said she thought she heard fireworks coming from the house Tuesday, The Chronicle reported. Bristow added that she heard children screaming but believed they were headed to a pool in the backyard.
“Now I know why they were running around screaming,” Bristow told the newspaper.
The cause of deaths is under investigation by the Elyria Police Department and the Lorain County Coroner’s Office, according to WOIO.