Six members of a Texas military family, including four children, and their pets were found dead inside their home’s garage, police said.
Police Chief William McManus told the outlet that officers temporarily evacuated several homes in a Stone Oak neighborhood on Thursday after they found a note on the front door saying the house was “booby-trapped” with possible explosive devices. The note was written in a “cryptic” manner, containing “military jargon,” he said, adding that the message also implied that there were bodies inside the house. “Do not enter,” it also warned.
McManus said officials used a drone and a robot to examine the inside of the home. They found what appeared to be potentially explosive materials.
Seven officers responded and smelled “a heavy, noxious fume coming from inside,” authorities said. McManus later said that odor was carbon monoxide.
“[It] kind of blew everybody back out the door,” McManus said.
Other details about the incident were not provided.