Police in Troy, New York, released photos on Thursday of two children and two adult women who were killed in a “horrific” quadruple homicide.
“The Troy Police Department is releasing these photos not only for the media but to further appeal to the public for any information regarding this horrific case,” Capt. Dan DeWolf of the Troy Police Department said in a statement.
Brandi Mells, 22, Shanta Myers, 36, and Myers’ children Shanise, 5, and Jeremiah, 11, were found dead in a basement apartment on Tuesday.
Myers and Mells were in a relationship, Troy Police Chief John Tedesco said. Police were called to the scene after the property manager reported the discovery of four unresponsive people.
Police said they have not made any arrests in the case. Law enforcement did not detail the exact manner or motive of the killings, but the homicides clearly shook authorities.
“Being in this business for almost 42 years, I can’t describe the savagery of a person like this. I don’t know of a word that can say it,” Tedesco said on Tuesday.
Entire city ‘traumatized’
DeWolf told CNN affiliate WTEN that he believes the quadruple homicide is an isolated incident, but urged residents to remain cautious as detectives investigate.
“Unfortunately, it’s horrible, terrible, sad — especially at this time of the year — that there’s four deceased folks in there,” he said. “We’re going to do everything we can to look into this and get to the bottom of what happened here.”
Pastor Jackie Robinson Sr. of the Oak Grove Baptist Church in Troy said Shanta Myers had been a bus monitor for many years for Durham School Services, which runs the Troy school system’s buses.
“The entire city is really traumatized by what has happened. It’s inconceivable. The fact that they haven’t been caught, people are afraid,” he said.
“It’s evil and wickedness for somebody to do something like this,” he added.
The city of Troy is located just outside of the state capital, Albany, and is about 160 miles north of New York City.
