A homicide investigation is underway after three women were found dead inside a Columbus, Ohio residence over the weekend.
On Saturday, Dec. 14 just before 4 p.m. local time, Columbus Police officers were called to the 1300 block of south Ohio, police spokesperson, Sergeant James Fuqua, told reporters in a video shared by WSYX ABC 6.
Fuqua explained that police responded after a caller said they’d found some of their friends inside the property having “medical distress.” He told reporters that three adult female victims — who haven’t been named as of yet — had been found dead at the scene.
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Calling the situation “all very active and ongoing,” Fuqua explained that there were “very limited details” he was allowed to discuss surrounding the case.
He added that it was “absolutely” a homicide investigation, but noted, “but beyond what type of homicide or what led up to it, we’re still unclear and we’re working through that.”
He also shared that there were witnesses at the scene when police arrived.
Fuqua told reporters the homicide investigation was ongoing and that officers are “working through the manner of death to determine what actually happened before we release any of that information.”
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Calling it a “very complex scene,” Fuqua told reporters, “With the amount of victims that we have, it’s going to take a little bit longer to make sure that we’re very careful and going through the scene meticulously, so we do not miss any key piece of evidence because unfortunately, it’s very unusual to have so many victims in one incident.”
“One homicide is one too many, but when you have three, that is particularly alarming and troubling to us,” he added.
Despite having limited information at the time, Fuqua assured reporters that detectives would “work tirelessly” to find out who had committed such a “heinous crime.”
The officer also stated that no one was in custody as of Saturday evening. Fuqua didn’t immediately respond when contacted by PEOPLE for additional information.
“Any time of the year it’s unfortunate when someone loses their life, but particularly this time of year during the holidays,” Fuqua said.
“It’s going to be very difficult for all of these victims’ families to come to the grips that, unfortunately, these family members will no longer be in their lives,” the officer added.
