COLUMBIANA, Alabama  —  Authorities outside Birmingham are investigating after five men were found dead in an apartment.

Shelby County Sheriff Chris Curry tells The Birmingham News deputies found the men just before 6 p.m. Wednesday after being sent to the apartment for a welfare check.

Local news outlets reported their throats had been slashed, but that could not be immediately confirmed with the sheriff's office. A news conference is scheduled for Thursday.

Curry says investigators hadn't determined how long the men had been dead. Authorities were also still trying to identify them.

Click here for more on this story from MyFOXBirmingham.com.