CORNELIUS, Ore. — An Oregon community is "shaken to its core" after a mother and her three young children were found dead in an apparent isolated incident, authorities said.
Deputies responded to a home in Cornelius, about 25 miles outside of Portland, around 3 p.m. Tuesday after a 911 caller reported finding four people dead, according to the Washington County Sheriff’s Office-Cornelius Police.
In a building attached to the home, officers discovered the bodies of 37-year-old Hong Phuong Le and her three children: 2-year-old-daughter Viena Mai Dam, 5-year-old-daughter Ha Ngan Dam and 7-year-old-son Thanh Tien Dam, authorities said.
The 5-year-old was a kindergartener and the 7-year-old was a second grader at Cornelius Elementary School, a school official said.
No arrests have been made, sheriff’s office spokesperson Deputy David Huey told reporters.
Authorities said the deaths appear to be an isolated incident and they don't believe there is a danger to the public.
Huey was visibly emotional at a media briefing, telling reporters, "This is pretty hard to talk about."
"Our community has been shaken to its core," Cornelius Police Chief Mitch Coley said in a statement, calling the deaths "an unthinkable tragedy."
"While the investigation is still ongoing and details are limited, I want to acknowledge the heartbreak this brings to the families involved and our entire city," Coley said. "This is a deeply emotional time for everyone: neighbors, friends, and the first responders who were called to the scene. I ask that we all come together with compassion and care."
Authorities on Wednesday said they're asking community members to come forward with any information "that could further the investigation, including personal or professional connections" to the family.
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