BOURBON, Mo. (AP) - The weekend killings of a woman and three children at a campground and resort in eastern Missouri was being investigated Sunday as a possible triple murder-suicide.
Crawford County Sheriff Randy Martin told broadcaster KSDK that investigators believe the shootings happened Saturday morning in a remote area along a gravel road at the Blue Springs Ranch & Resort and that the bodies had been there for "hours" when a guest found them about 1 p.m. Each victim sustained one gunshot wound, and a handgun was found close to the bodies, he said.
Asked if he believes the woman shot the three children and then herself, Martin told the station, "We don't know for sure, but it kind of appears it could be that way. But again the investigation is still kind of early."
He added that investigators weren't seeking any suspects.
Martin said the victims weren't guests at the facility, which is south of Bourbon and about 80 miles southwest of St. Louis. Although the woman's vehicle was found in the vicinity and there was identification with her body, Martin declined to identify the victims or their relationship to one another. He said only that they weren't from the Crawford County area.
A woman who answered the phone at the sheriff's department told The Associated Press he wouldn't be back in the office until Monday.
A business manager at the Blue Springs Ranch & Resort told the AP there would be no comment from the facility until authorities release more information. The resort on the Meramec River has campsites, cabins, trail riding and other activities.