Updated

Authorities in Florida say a man found his wife and two young children dead in their home.

Pinellas County Sheriff's officials said in a statement Saturday that the investigation is still ongoing, but it appears that 34-year-old Dawn Brown killed her children and then hanged herself.

Deputies responded to the Clearwater home shortly after 2 a.m. Saturday after receiving a call for help from 36-year-old Murphy Brown, the father of the children.

The children's cause of death will be released pending an autopsy. No further information has been released.

Neighbor Nichole Bell told The Tampa Tribune that she spoke with Dawn Brown at a recent back-to-school open house and couldn't believe the news because Brown appeared to be "interested in her kids' educations."