Sept. 06--DE SOTO -- A woman and her three young daughters were found shot to death near De Soto early Thursday.
Jefferson County sheriff's officials say they haven't determined if this is a case of murder-suicide or a quadruple homicide.
Authorities haven't released the names of the victims. Sheriff's deputies found a shotgun next to the body of the woman. All four victims had been shot in the head, said Sheriff Oliver "Glenn" Boyer.
The woman's estranged boyfriend is being questioned by police. The crime scene is at his home, and he told deputies he came home to find the woman's van parked in his driveway.
The four bodies were found outside a home at Vineland and Wilson Hollow roads at about 12:30 a.m. today.
The children were all girls, ages 1, 10 and 11. They had been shot to death inside a van. Their mother, 32, was found dead on steps leading to the porch of the home.
"Detectives are looking into the possibility of a murder suicide but have not ruled out homicide by an undetermined source," Boyer said in a statement.
Boyer said the deputies didn't know the ownership of the shotgun, but it appeared new. "There were still some stickers on the stock" of it, he said.
"We're at very beginning stages of the investigation," Boyer said. "I'm not going to release a whole lot."
The sheriff said officers would investigate the case as homicide "until there's enough evidence to prove otherwise."
Boyer said the woman had a restraining order against her estranged boyfriend. He lived at the house where the woman's van was parked. The woman lived elsewhere with her daughters.
"We were contacted by the boyfriend early this morning," Boyer said. "He said he pulls into his driveway and sees her van. She has an active order of protection against him. He didn't want to get into trouble, so he goes back to an intersection near Highway 21 and calls for a deputy."
A deputy arrived and found the bodies, Boyer said.
The street leading to the crime scene is blocked by deputies and reporters aren't being allowed into the area. The area is near the Washington County line.
Boyer said a domestic-violence intervention team will be looking at the couple's history and police are pulling 911 tapes to see what calls police have responded to at the residence and the woman's home in recent weeks.
"Right now, we'e got three dead children and a dead mother, and naturally we're going to be looking at this as a homicide investigation," Boyer said. "We'll be interviewing him (the boyfriend) throughout the day and anyone who has had contact with him."
The sheriff said it appeared one of the children killed was the child of the boyfriend.
Boyer didn't characterize the man as a suspect or even a person of interest. He said the man is being interviewed "as a witness to the incident."
This is a breaking news story. Check back for updates.
Copyright 2012 - St. Louis Post-Dispatch
