A family of five was found dead in their Texas home on Monday, the Navarro County Sheriff's Office confirms.
The victims identified in the case are Israel Alvarez, his wife Guadalupe Ronquillo-Ovalle and their three sons ages 10, 8 and 4.
According to NBC 5 News, the Navarro County Sheriff Elmer Tanner said the case is being investigated as a murder-suicide:
The sheriff said Monday that all five had gunshot wounds to the upper torso and a .22 caliber semi-automatic long rifle was recovered from the scene.
Navarro County Sheriff Elmer Tanner says a Spanish-speaking male called 911 around 7 p.m. Sunday night to report that several members of his family were dead at a home in Rice, 40 miles southeast of Dallas.
Police officials said they believe the crime was confined to the home and do not have any evidence showing otherwise.
"I don't care where you are. Any time there's five losses of lives in one location, that's shocking and traumatic," Tanner told NBC 5 News. "It doesn't make any difference where you are. It's a horrible, horrible thing to see, witness or be a part of."
It was not the first time authorities had visited the family at their home. Police visited the home four times since 2010, the most recent call was from a domestic dispute on Sept. 11.
"The sheriff said Alvarez was arrested September 11 on a Class C simple assault charge, after his wife accused him of pushing her," Dallas News reports. "He remained in custody for two days and was released after he paid a $367 fine. Ronquillo-Ovalle wasn't injured, Tanner said, and she had not filed for a protective order."
The last confirmed sighting of the family was on Thursday, and the children did not attend school on Friday. Emergency medical personnel confirmed the deaths after arriving to the scene of the crime.
