Deaths of Mom, Three Kids Called Murder
Cops call the crime "shocking," saying there were "obvious signs of violence."
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.
"There are a lot of home invasions out here," Sandra Smith told the AP.
Police searched the house on Saturday, looking for clues to what happened.
"As we go into the scene, it's very expansive," McCranie said. "A lot of detail involved to make sure we don't miss anything or make a mistake, so things are a little slow right now, but progress is being made."
Peters and her children lived alone in the house, so police are talking to their relatives and friends to learn what they can and find out if there was anyone who might have wanted to hurt them.
Neighbors who gathered Saturday were in shock, watching police going in and out of the house with bags of evidence, as the children's bicycles lay in the open garage.
"It was just police. The scene was just very alarming," Darius Mount, a neighbor, told ABC affiliate WTXL-TV in Tallahassee.
"They were just kids," Mount said. "It's just sad sight to see. It's sad knowing these kids didn't make it."
Police are asking anyone with any information about the family to call the Tallahassee Police Department at 850-891-4200.