Police say three people were killed early Sunday morning in Modesto, including two young children, ages 4 and 6.
The homicide occurred at a home on the 1800 block of Rancho Encantado Court in south Modesto.
Though information is scarce, it has been confirmed that two young boys have died. Police are searching for answers.
Neighbors say the area is relatively quiet and that the home that was involved was a rented out only a few months ago.
Crime scene tape shut down Rancho Encantado Court until around 1 p.m. Sunday and for many in the neighborhood, it came as a complete shock.
“[I] didn’t hear a thing. I just found out about it a few minutes ago,” said Jose Estrella, who has lived in the neighborhood for 10 years. “I was on my way out to fill the tank [with] gas, have it ready for Monday morning and I was surprised. I see all these news vans and everything that is going on here, like wow,” he said.
Police say they are still investigating what caused the deaths and that it was an isolated incident. The suspect involved is not outstanding.
“It’s very sad to hear, especially the children, and our thoughts and prayers are with their family,” said Alex Chavez, another tenured neighbor. “I hope their family is able to recover from this because it is very tragic for the community.”
Several neighbors said they did not hear anything leading up to when the police arrived with their sirens on.
“You see people mowing their lawns and kids right out here across the street are always out here, the babies running around with their bicycles and stuff,” Estrella said. “So it’s a really nice neighborhood and that’s why it is so surprising to hear about something like this.”
With questions looming, neighbors are trying to cope with the tragedy.
“It can happen anywhere across America,” Estrella said.