Police: 3 Found Dead In Early Morning Queens Fire Had Stab Wounds
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) -- Police are investigating after three people were found dead in an early morning fire at an apartment in Queens with stab wounds.
The fire broke out around 4:50 a.m. Tuesday in a sixth floor apartment of a building on Roosevelt Avenue in Flushing.
It was brought under control just before 5:30 a.m. Minutes after putting out the blaze, firefighters found the bodies of two males and one female inside the apartment, police said.
Sources said it appeared more than one of the victims had their throats slashed and that the fire was set to cover up the crime, CBS 2's Don Champion reported.
Police: 3 Found Dead In Early Morning Queens Fire Had Stab Wounds
"They're in the living room. Apparently there are lacerations on their body," said Chief of Detectives Robert Boyce. He said the bodies were "in such a condition where we cannot identify them right now."
Neighbors said a husband and wife and their teenage son lived in the apartment, 1010 WINS' Glenn Schuck reported.
Sources told 1010 WINS it appears to be a murder-suicide in which the man killed his wife and son before slitting his own wrists. A knife and a suicide note written by the father indicating financial troubles were also found, sources told CBS 2.
Sources tell CBS 2 the husband was a truck driver and the wife was a nail technician.
Neighbors watched on all morning as investigators went into the building looking for clues.
A neighbor spoke to CBS 2 through a translator and said the family often kept to themselves, but would see them in passing.
"Just say hello because the lingo problem. Because one is Chinese and the other is Korean so just 'hello, hi, have a nice day.' That's it." she said.
Claire Roberts was awoken by the sound of fire alarms going off in the building near Roosevelt Avenue and Parsons Blvd just before 5 a.m.
"I watched the whole thing," she said.
Three firefighters were also hurt.
At this point, investigators say they have not found a history of officers responding to domestic related calls at the apartment where the bodies were found.
The investigation is ongoing.
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