Munich, Feb 23, (dpa/GNA) – A man is believed to have shot dead his wife and their two children in their home in southern Germany, before killing himself, police said on Monday.
The bodies of the family of four were discovered on Friday evening in a flat in the town of Strullendorf, to the north of Nuremberg, prosecutors and police said in a joint statement.
The family’s landlord tried to reach out to the family, after other tenants had reported a suspicious smell, a police spokesman said.
When he was unable to contact them, he began to worry and alerted police.
It was unclear how long the family had been dead before they were found.
The father, a 52-year-old German national, owned several fire arms and a licence to carry them, investigators said.
A police spokesman said the man had been a hunter and sport shooter.
The children were a 14-year-old son and a 6-year-old daughter, while the woman was 49 years old.
Investigations into the exact circumstances of the crime are ongoing, but so far there is no indication of third-party involvement, police said.
GNA