Anchorage police say 4 killed in case of domestic violence
May 14, 2015, 3:42 PM
Anchorage police Sgt. Mike Couturier speaks at a press conference Thursday, May 14, 2015, in Anchorage Alaska, to discuss details about a family of four that was found dead inside a home. Police said the deaths discovered Wednesday appear to be an isolated domestic violence incident. (AP Photo/Rachel D'Oro)
(AP Photo/Rachel D'Oro)
ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) — The deaths of a couple and their two children at a home in Alaska’s largest city appeared to be an isolated domestic violence incident, and police said Thursday they aren’t looking for a suspect.
Police Sgt. Mike Couturier stopped short of calling it murder-suicide, and would not discuss specific details, such as who may have pulled the trigger, if a note was found and where inside the home the bodies were found.
“It’s safe to say we’re still investigating at this point,” Couturier said at a press conference. “But it seems that the entire incident occurred within the residence.”
Authorities identified the victims found Wednesday as Curtis Young III, 24, and Desiree Leandra Gonzalez, 27, along with their children, 4-year-old Zaiden Young and 17-month-old Zarielle Young. All four had been shot to death, and a weapon was found at the home, Couturier said. He said a motive is not known, and police are checking electronics recovered from the home to try to find answers.
The woman’s father found the bodies early Wednesday afternoon at the family’s apartment in a four-plex in a working class neighborhood.
The children’s father usually dropped the children off at their grandparents’ home in the mornings before the grandmother took them to the baby sitter, Couturier said. When the children didn’t show up, the grandfather tried to call his daughter but got no answer.
The man went to the home and found the doors locked. He went in through a window and found the family dead.
Neighbors later told police they heard gunshots between 1:37 a.m. and 4 a.m. Wednesday, but no one called police. Couturier said that doesn’t mean the shootings occurred over that period, saying neighbors might have gotten their times confused.
Online court records show two criminal cases against Curtis Young III, including a 2010 count of assault using reckless force or violence. He pleaded no contest in that case.
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