WEST BROOKFIELD — Four children and a mother were found dead inside a home on Old Warren Road in West Brookfield Thursday, according to a law enforcement official briefed on the case.
The official said the victims had suffered from “burn type” injuries when their bodies were discovered. The official requested anonymity because of the sensitivity of the case.
Another official briefed on the case said a police officer found the bodies after a man who lives at the residence called police and requested a well-being check.
The man told police he was calling from California, the official said.
Police saw evidence that several fires had been lit at the home, but the fires burned out on their own, the official said.
Authorities were waiting Thursday night for a search warrant to enter the home and process the crime scene, the law enforcement official said.
Worcester District Attorney Joseph D. Early Jr. is leading the investigation. His office could not be reached for comment.
A large crime scene was established around the white, single-story home, which is surrounded by woods in a neighborhood off Route 9. The Central Massachusetts town is located about 20 miles west of Worcester.
Yellow police tape was stretched from utility poles to trees outside the home and dangled from the legs of a picnic table. Flood lights lit the yard of the home, while ambulances and police and fire department vehicles lined Old Warren Road and overflowed into the parking lot of Northeast Pizza across the street.
West Brookfield Police, the state fire marshal’s office and Massachusetts State Police deferred comment to Early’s office.
Local and State Police responded to a “major incident” on Old Warren Road, West Brookfield police tweeted around 5:30 p.m. The road, located between Route 9 and Laurel Street, was closed to traffic.
The police activity drew several residents to the scene.
Sandi Wenzel, who lives about a quarter of a mile away, said she was saddened to learn of the grim discovery inside the home.
“I used to see the little girls get off the bus and they were adorable,” she said by telephone Thursday night. “It’s horrible.”
Mike Bello and Kathy McCabe of the Globe Staff contributed. Ben Thompson can be reached at ben.thompson@globe.com. Jeremy C. Fox can be reached at jeremy.fox@globe.com. Alejandro Serrano can be reached at alejandro.serrano@globe.com
Special Counsel Robert Mueller is building a case against the Russians who hacked and leaked private information of several key Democrats during the 2016 election, NBC News reported.
These new charges rely heavily on intelligence gathered by the CIA, the FBI, the National Security Agency (NSA) and the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), and target a different group of Russian actors than those indicted last month, according to NBC.
A possible new indictment would include details on the Russian intelligence operation that released emails stolen from both the Democratic National Committee (DNC) and Clinton campaign chairman John Podesta, NBC reported. Democratic emails made public through website Wikileaks factored heavily in the 2016 election, embarrassing Democrats and adding fuel to the Trump campaign.
Sources told NBC News that Mueller has long had sufficient evidence to make a case, but has been waiting for a strategic moment.
Mueller’s team has reportedly asked witnesses whether Trump was aware that the emails he repeatedly referenced throughout his campaign had been stolen and whether he was involved in their release, according to NBC News.
President Trump has repeatedly denied collusion with Russian intelligence actors.
Read more about Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation from NBC News.
