TEMPE, Ariz. – Authorities have confirmed the identities of three burned bodies found inside an SUV in the desert south of Phoenix in a murder-suicide.
Tempe police said Friday that dental records showed they were 16-year-old Malissa Butwin, 14-year-old Daniel Butwin and 7-year-old Matthew Butwin.
Authorities say the records were needed because the bodies were burned beyond recognition.
The bodies of the childrens' parents — James and Yafit (yuh-FEET') Butwin — were identified Thursday.
Authorities say the woman and three children were killed by gunshot wounds, and the father died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound.
A U.S. Border Patrol agent found the five bodies in the burning SUV in a desert area Saturday in Pinal County, some 35 miles south of Phoenix.
The family was from Tempe, a suburb east of Phoenix.
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