3 Kids Among 5 Found Dead Inside Maryland House; Investigation Ongoing

Five people, including three children, were found shot to death inside a house in Cecil County, Maryland, Friday.

Deputies responded to a home in Elk Mills, Maryland, at around 9:30 a.m. Friday after a 911 call from an unidentified man who said three children and a woman had been shot and killed, according to a press release from the Cecil County Sheriff's Office.

Cecil County Sheriff Scott Adams said officers found three children, a woman and a man shot to death in the home, WJZ reported.

The names and ages of the deceased have yet to be released, but authorities said the kids were in the fifth, seventh and eighth grades. It is not clear how the five were related to each other.

Officers also found a semi-automatic handgun near the man's body. Police continued to collect evidence after obtaining a search and seizure warrant.

"We're not aware of any other weapons that have been located inside the residence," Lt. Michael Holmes said, according to the outlet.

The bodies were found at various locations inside the residence, police said. One body was found in the garage, another on the first floor and three bodies on the second floor, according to WJZ.

Police have not yet determined a possible motive for the shooting. The sheriff's office found no record of calls from the home before the Friday incident.

Authorities said there was no ongoing threat to the public and that it was "too early" to call the case a murder-suicide.

The sheriff told WJZ that they cannot provide more details at this point because the man's next of kin has yet to be notified.

"We are actively trying to find that motive but right now we don't have that," Adams stated.

First responders were provided counseling following the incident.

"My phone hasn't stopped ringing from people who are concerned about this and upset about this," the sheriff said. "Any loss is terrible, but a loss at this level is not a common thing and certainly not a common thing here in Cecil County. It is tragic and terrible and takes a long time for people to process."

A neighbor, who was not named, told WJZ that a family moved into the home two years ago. He described them as a "beautiful" and "remarkable" family.

"As you can tell from out back, they had lots of fun things to play with, so they enjoyed themselves here. It was a new start for them," the neighbor said.