The bodies of 36-year-old Shanta Myers, her 22-year-old girlfriend Brandi Mells, their 5-year-old daughter Shanise Myer and 11-year-old son Jeremiah Myers were discovered Tuesday afternoon in Troy, New York. Their throats had been slashed inside their home in what the police are calling “an act of savagery.”

Troy Police Chief James Tedesco told the Albany Times Union “After being in this business for almost 42 years, I can’t describe the savagery of this. I don’t have the words.”

‘There are indications at the crime scene that this was not a random act,’ Tedesco said at a news conference on Wednesday. ‘We are certainly appealing to people in the community that would have any knowledge as to what may have transpired there to contact us as soon as possible.’

Pastor Jackie Robinson Sr, of Oak Grove Baptist Church, said that an older son related to the two children – thought to be the last surviving member of the family – wasn’t home when the killings occurred.

He went on to warn the community:

“Until they catch whoever they did this, there are certainly reasons to be fearful,” the pastor told the Times Union. “We don’t know who did it. Until we find out, it certainly makes sense to be vigilant and keep your doors locked.”

In fact, police are theorizing this may be the work of a serial killer, cautiously comparing what happened to a similar crime in 2014 in which a family of four was killed with a knife and hammer inside their Guilderland home.

More details to come.

(via Daily Mail)