Deaths of Mom, Three Kids Called Murder

Nov. 21, 2010— -- Police in Tallahassee, Fla., are desperately trying to unravel the horrible mystery of who murdered a mother and her three young children in their home.

Autopsies were performed today on the woman, her 6-year-old twin daughters and her 3-year-old son, but Tallahassee officials declined to release details on the cause of death of the mother and her three children, beyond saying that it was determined they were victims of homicide.

Police identified the victims as Brandi Peters, 27 and her children, Tamiyah Peters, 6; Taniyah Peters, 6; and Jovante Segura, 3.

The only other details police did release today were that there was no sign of forced entry to the house, and that broken glass seen near the door to the well-kept home was a result of police trying to gain access to the house.

"I want to assure the public that we are following up on active leads in this case," Tallahassee Police Department Chief Dennis Jones said. "We cannot release details, as it would adversely affect our ability to solve this crime."

The three were found Saturday morning after a neighbor in the recently built quiet subdivision near Florida State University and Florida A&M University called the police.

"We had a neighbor call us who was concerned, so we responded to try to look around the house and so forth, and that's when we discovered the bodies," Tallahassee Police Department spokesman Officer David McCranie said.

"There are obvious signs of violence" in the house, he added.

McCrainie said there had been a number of break-ins in the neighborhood, but police had recently increased their presence there.

"This is a very shocking and unusual case for us," he said.

But a woman who lives nearby told The Associated Press that violent crime is still a problem in the area.