ELYRIA, Ohio — Five bodies were found Wednesday at a family home in Elyria, Ohio.
Officials said they believe 44-year-old John Nelson shot and killed his wife and three children before he turned the gun on himself and died by suicide.
The children were 12, 10 and 6.
The family dog was also found dead on the premises.
Renetta Hubbard, a neighbor of the family’s, said she heard what sounded like firecrackers going off Tuesday night.
She told Cleveland-based station WEWS-TV she has lived in the neighborhood for 28 years and wishes she had called police as soon as she heard the sounds.
“Like I tell everybody, I’m the nosy neighbor that watches everything, but I didn’t see this. If I would’ve known, you know, I would’ve called yesterday,” Hubbard said Wednesday.
Law enforcement was first alerted that something was wrong after Nelson didn’t show up for work Wednesday morning. One of his coworkers went to his home to check on Nelson, and the colleague discovered shell casings by the front door. He called police.
Officials said they do not yet have a motive, and an investigation is underway.
“They were a typical family. They kept the three kids busy,” a family member told WOIO. “They were in baseball and volleyball and soccer and ballet. There was two boys and a girl, and the wife worked as a nurse, and he worked down the road at a plastic bag factory, and he lived here his entire life.”
The family member, identified as Ben Runyon, said the family is confused, WOIO reported.
“I know they were trying to get out of this neighborhood and move out to the country somewhere, and he just wanted to stay busy with the kids and keep them out of trouble,” he said. “So none of this is making any sense. We’re just lost right now.”
According to the news station, a neighbor said she had seen the couple arguing outside recently but didn’t think anything of it.
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