Five people -- a mother, father and three children -- have been found dead in Abington Monday morning, officials said.
The family was discovered in a townhouse at 135 Centre Ave. around 7:30 a.m. when a relative came to help get the children to school, Plymouth District Attorney Timothy Cruz said.
Cruz declined to release the names of the family members, as next-of-kin notifications are ongoing. The children are an 11-year-old girl and 9-year-old twins, a boy and girl, the district attorney said during a press conference.
It appears the five suffered gunshot wounds, Cruz said. The medical examiner will determine exactly what time the five died, as well as the cause and manner of their deaths.
Cruz declined to say whether the parents are licensed gun owners.
“I think that when something unimaginable like this happens, there’s always going to be more questions than there are going to be answers,” Cruz said.
The deaths appear to be an isolated incident and there is no threat to the public, authorities said.
“It’s tragedy all the way around for the first responders, for the fire, police for everyone responding,” Abington Police Chief David Majenski said. “It’s just a horrific event that nobody should ever really see.”
Majenski said there were no previous incidents that would have indicated there was an issue at the residence.
When the family member arrived at the house to help pick up the children, a 40-year-old woman was found apparently deceased in the townhouse, Cruz said.
Then, a 43-year-old man and the three children were discovered, according to the district attorney, who declined to say where exactly in the residence the father and children were located.
Grief counselors will be available at the Abington Public Schools, officials said.
“A crime occurred in that building and three little children are gone forever as a result of this,” Cruz said.
Though Cruz declined to name the family, the Abington Public Schools did identify the family in a statement.
School faculty and staff started to notify students of the deaths Monday, the response varying based on the age level of students, according to the statement, which noted students’ access to information with cellphones, media and social media.
“We are heartbroken to share with you that the Zaccardi Family, an Abington family, died unexpectedly last night. There are three young students of this family in our district," read the statement from the school system. "At this time, we do not have any other details about what happened. This was an unexpected event, which deeply saddens all of us. This is a tragedy that will affect the entire Abington community. Counseling staff have been made available to support students.”
Students at the Woodsdale, Beaver Brook and Early Education Program were not told about what happened because of their young age, according to the statement.
Grief counselors are and will be available throughout the district to help students during and after school, the statement said.