3 Children, Woman Found Dead In Indiana Home, Suspect Arrested

KEY POINTS

The police were called to a residence in Fort Wayne on Wednesday morning
A police official described the crime scene as “gruesome”
The suspect is expected to be charged with four counts of murder

Three children and a woman were found dead in a Fort Wayne home and a man was arrested in connection with the "gruesome slayings" following a brief manhunt by the police.

The suspect, identified as 21-year-old Cohen Bennett Hancz-Barronat, was arrested in Lafayette on Wednesday evening after the police discovered the bodies of the four victims in the Indiana home. The man was described as “an acquaintance of the victims.”

The deceased are not identified yet, according to officials.

Deputies and medics were called to the home at 2904 Gay Street around 10:45 a.m. ET on a report of an unknown incident. On arrival, the emergency officers saw the bodies of the woman and the three children inside the apartment.

Police Sgt. Jeremy Webb said: “When you have murdered children, it’s going to be gruesome.” He sought public help in finding the culprit before Hancz-Barronat’s arrest. “...There are three murdered children. We need the public’s help to track down this suspect,” he was quoted as saying by Wane News.

The horrifying discovery prompted Fort Wayne Police Department to issue a manhunt for Hancz-Barronat. Before the man’s arrest, the police said he was “armed and extremely dangerous” and was possibly driving a vehicle that he had stolen earlier Wednesday morning.

The family and relatives of the victims have identified the suspect, Webb said.

The officials said the arrest “was made possible through a joint effort by Fort Worth Police Department Homicide, Gang and Violent Crimes Unit, Vice and Narcotics Unit and the Indiana State Police,” 12 WBOY reported.

No further details regarding the incident were revealed and the relationship between the suspect and the victims has not been ascertained.

“This is a very devastating time for our family. Please give us time to process the horrific events that have occurred today. Our daughter was a very special person to our family. Please be respectful of our family’s privacy at this time,” a representative from the victims’ family told Wane News.

Hancz-Barron was expected to be booked into the Allen County Jail on four counts of murder.

Fort Wayne Police asked anyone with any additional information about the incident to contact them.