Three people, including a couple celebrating their 50th wedding anniversary, were found dead inside a Massachusetts home in an apparently random attack, police said.
No one is in custody in the case, and a suspect has not been named.
The three people were found at a Newton residence at 10:14 a.m. Sunday when a concerned person went to check on them after they missed church services, according to Middlesex District Attorney Marian Ryan.
«Two of the individuals were celebrating a golden wedding anniversary this weekend,» Ryan said at a news conference Sunday night. «As you can imagine, this would be tragic on any day. Bringing the family together for this type of celebration makes it particularly tragic.»
There were signs of forced entry in the home and all three victims appear to have been stabbed to death, police said. Authorities are urging residents to be vigilant as a suspect is not in custody.
A family statement was posted online by her church, Sacred Heart and Our Lady’s Collaborative, Monday, identifying the victims as Jill and Bruno D’Amore, as well as Lucia Arpino, Jill D’Amore’s mother.
«Many in our faith community are grieving this great loss,» the statement said. «We ask for your prayers for them, especially for their three children and their five grandchildren.»
Newton Police Chief John Carmichael, Jr. said officers will have additional patrols and urged residents to report any suspicious activity immediately.
A break-in attempt was reported a half mile away at 5:45 a.m. Sunday, but not reported until at least an hour later, according to Ryan.
«We don’t know at this point if those two incidents are connected, but we’re certainly looking at what happened this morning,» Ryan said.
The investigation is in its early stages, but the seemingly random nature of the crime is why authorities are concerned about the threat to the safety of the community, Ryan said. She said Sunday that she couldn’t remember any other triple homicides in Newton’s history.
Residents in the area around the victims’ home are asked to review surveillance footage from Saturday night through Sunday morning and report any abnormalities to authorities.