Man kills ex-girlfriend and her family in murder-suicide in Maryland, authorities say

By Jason Hanna, Mallika Kallingal and Hannah Sarisohn, CNN

Five people were found dead in a southern Maryland home Friday in a murder-suicide incident, according to a Charles County Sheriff’s Office statement on Saturday.

The bodies were found in a house in La Plata, roughly a 35-mile drive south of Washington, DC, by law enforcement officers around 4 p.m. on Friday after a witness called 911 to report a shooting, Charles County sheriff’s spokesperson Diane Richardson said on Friday.

When police arrived at the house they found the homeowner at the front door who said he had returned home from work and discovered five people deceased inside.

Police said initial investigations showed that a suspect identified as Andre Sales, 28, came into the house and killed four people before shooting himself with a gun which was recovered at the scene.

The victims have been identified as his ex-girlfriend Sara Mann, 21, her mother Sommaly Mann, 48, and her younger brother Kai Mann, 18, authorities said. The fourth victim has been identified as Javon Watson, 23, but his relation to the other victims is not clear.

Authorities say autopsies will be conducted to determine the cause of death for each victim and investigators are interviewing family and friends to establish a motive for the killings.

Two children, who the sheriff’s office did not identify, were initially unaccounted for, but were later found safe at another location.

The sheriff’s office said the investigation is ongoing.

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CNN’s Amanda Musa and Jennifer Feldman contributed to this report.