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West Virginia child charged with killing four family members

A juvenile in West Virginia has been charged in the slayings of two boys and their parents inside their home, authorities said.

The unidentified man, woman and their two sons, ages 3 and 12, were found dead with gunshot wounds around 10:40 a.m. Sunday in a house in Elkview, WV Metro News reported.

Authorities said a relative went to the home that morning to check on the family after not hearing from them for days.

When he arrived, he found the front door unlocked and three people dead, news station WSAZ reported.

Responding authorities found the fourth victim, the outlet reported.

“We determined immediately on the deputies’ arrival they were all deceased,” Kanawha County Sheriff Mike Rutherford told WV Metro News.

Rutherford said a fifth member of the family — a teenage boy — had been found safe away from the crime scene. He has spoken to authorities.

The scene of the murder in West Virginia
WOWK13

A juvenile has been charged with murder in connection with the grisly slayings, though it’s unclear whether the child has any relationship to the victims.

Rutherford declined to release more information because the suspect is a minor.

No further details were provided about the victims or the circumstances surrounding their deaths.

“We’re in the process now of going through the residence collecting evidence. Right now it’s very, very early,” Rutherford told reporters.