Two women and two children were found slain in an act of “savagery” in a basement apartment in Troy, New York, police said. Their bodies were found on the day after Christmas.
In a news conference on Wednesday, Troy Police Chief James Tedesco described the quadruple homicide as brutal and said it was targeted “There are indications at the crime scene that this was not a random act,” Tedesco told reporters, according to the Albany Times Union.
The victims have been identified as Shanta Myers, 36, and 22-year-old Brandi Mells. Myers’ two children, Jeremiah, 11, and Shanise, 5, were also killed. Mells was reportedly Myers’ partner.
While police have declined to officially confirm a cause of death, law enforcement sources told the Times Union that the victims were bound and their throats were slashed. Investigators continue to search the apartment for clues.
According to police, the building’s property manager discovered the four bodies on Tuesday after one of the victims’ relatives asked him to check on the residence. They had not answered phone calls.
Myers’ oldest child, 15-year-old Isaiah, was not at home at the time of the murders — and he said he fears for his life.
“I’m scared to go to the corner store,” the teen told reporters, according to the Times Union. “I’m not sure if they’re coming for me next.”
Shanta Myers’ sister, Shakera Symes, also pleaded for people with information to call the police.
“Give the information to the authorities so that they can help find the person who has destroyed us, emotionally, mentally,” Symes said. “It feels like somebody has ripped us to shreds.”
“My sister was supposed to be with me and her children, all three of them, for Christmas and I got robbed of that opportunity,” she said.
The slayings have shaken the entire community of Troy.
“Only a person of savagery would do something like this,” Chief Tedesco said. “Nobody that’s been involved in this case is ever going to forget this.”