Horrific D.C.-area murder still mystery for police
Police released surveillance video showing a man they call a person of interest in a horrific arson and murder Thursday in one of Washington, D.C.'s most affluent and close-knit neighborhoods, reports CBS News correspondent Wyatt Andrews.
The quadruple homicide, at a home just blocks from the vice president's residence, is shocking the community. So far, little is known about who committed the crime and why Amy and Savvas Savopoulos, their 10-year-old son and a housekeeper were killed.
Police believe the man in the surveillance video, carrying a bag and sometimes running quickly, may have taken the family's Porsche 911, driven it from their home to a church parking lot 13 miles away, then set it on fire.
"We certainly want to know if anyone saw that car and who was in it," D.C. Police Chief Cathy Lanier said.
Police described the scene around the bodies as brutal, and say three of the four victims suffered blunt force or sharp object wounds, meaning they'd been beaten before the fire began.
"We do know at this point that the fire appears to (have been) intentionally set," Lanier said.
Adding to the mystery, there were no signs of forced entry, and a second housekeeper, who asked to be anonymous, was scheduled to work on Thursday, but said she received an unusual text from Amy insisting she wasn't needed.
"She wants to make sure not to come to the house today, but I don't know why. Thanks God that I saved my life," she said.
The Savopouloses have two teenage daughters, but both were away at boarding schools.
Daughter Abigail posted a heartbreaking tribute to her mother on Facebook just after Mother's Day.
"Thank you for the past 19 years and I look forward to the many more to come. I am so lucky to be able to call you my mom."
D.C. police are asking for anything the public may have seen going back to last Wednesday, suggesting the family might have been held captive for some time before the fire was set. They are offering a $25,000 reward to anyone with information.