Police believe a Houston-area man shot his estranged wife, daughter, and mother-in-law before shooting himself due to possible marital issues.

The Harris County Sheriff’s Office did not release the names of the victims but revealed the child was 4 years old.

On Thursday, deputies arrived at an apartment in northwest Harris County around 9:20 a.m. local time to do a welfare check after the wife failed to show up to work.

During a news conference, Harris County Sheriff Ed Gonzalez revealed four people — a child, two women, and a man — were discovered dead inside the residence.

Officials believe the man may have shown up at the apartment while the child and woman were preparing to leave for school and work.

“It’s a very tragic situation, especially with a four-year-old involved. It just breaks your heart, you know, beyond words,” Gonzalez said.

The suspected shooter was discovered with a semi-automatic pistol next to his body. However, police assured locals there was no active threat at the complex.

Although officials have not shared a motive, the sheriff revealed the estranged couple was in the process of a divorce or formal separation.

Prior to the suspected murder-suicide, there were several investigations into the man following reports that he tried to drown his daughter and slashed the tires on his wife’s vehicle.

“More recently, it may have led to an allegation where the adult male had possibly injured the young child – that would be his daughter. So we’re definitely going to look into that as well,” Gonzalez said.

The investigation into the suspected murder-suicide remains ongoing as homicide detectives continue to process the scene.

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