Police: Neighbor found 3 bodies outside East Texas home

DALLAS – A neighbour came across three bodies — including a 15-month-old — outside a home in East Texas and told her son to call police, who found two more people dead inside, authorities said.

Polk County sheriff’s officials previously said a woman who was found safe and locked inside a bedroom closet alerted police to five family members who were shot dead Monday in Blanchard, an unincorporated community about 75 miles (120 kilometres) northeast of Houston.

On Tuesday, Sheriff’s Capt. Rickie Childers clarified that the woman was found in the bedroom but was not involved in contacting police. The neighbour’s son reported the incident around 10:30 a.m., Childers said. He declined to identify the woman, but police said Monday that she was the mother of one of the victims and is not a suspect.

Officers responding to the scene found the bodies of Carlos and Lynda Delaney, ages 74 and 72, along with their granddaughter Ashley Delaney, 27, her husband Randy Horn, 54, and a 15-month-old girl, who police did not identify. The older couple owned the home.

The two men were found dead inside the house while the two women and the baby were discovered outside the residence, Chief Deputy Byron Lyons said Monday.

Childers would not say whether any of the deaths are believed to be suicide, but confirmed police are not seeking a suspect and there’s no risk to the public. Authorities hope to release more information later this week after medical examiner’s reports come back, he said.

Sheriff’s officials also declined to discuss any suspected motive for the killings.

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This story has been corrected to show three bodies were found outside, and two were discovered inside.