GRAPEVINE, Texas – A family of three Hurricane Katrina evacuees facing eviction was found dead Friday in their Texas apartment in what appears to be a double murder-suicide, authorities said.
Police were called by the apartment complex to assist in the eviction and discovered the bodies, said police Sgt. Todd Dearing in Grapevine, near Dallas.
Found with gunshot wounds were a 40-year-old man, a 37-year-old woman and a 14-year-old boy, all from Louisiana. Police found a shotgun believed to be the weapon, Dearing said.
Police were searching for a 16-year-old daughter they believe was living elsewhere, he said. Names were being withheld until relatives could be notified.
A resident told the complex Thursday of hearing what sounded like three gunshots near the victims' apartment, Dearing said. Police were called but left when no one answered the door.
"There was no reason for us to make entry," Dearing said. "They said it was their usual method of not answering the phones or door because they were being evicted."
The family was supposed to leave the apartment Tuesday, but the complex offered a few extra days. The family was receiving assistance from the Federal Emergency Management Agency, Dearing said. He did not know how long the family had not been paying rent.
Apartment managers could not be reached for comment Friday. Calls to the complex's leasing office rang unanswered.
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