Most people would notice if their neighbors disappeared without a trace, even if they normally keep to themselves.
It’s difficult to think that a house on your street could unknowingly be the tragic resting place for an entire family, but that appears to be what happened to one family in Irvine, California.
Extended family in Quebec, concerned after not hearing from the husband, wife and adult son in California for over a year, reached out through Canadian authorities who requested a welfare check by local police.
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Irvine police went to the upscale home in a gated community Wednesday morning and found three bodies inside.
“Responding officers entered the home and discovered three severely decomposed bodies inside that appeared to be adults,” police said, according to KTLA.
Investigators also reported that while there were no signs of a forced entry, a gun was found in the home and early analysis suggests a domestic incident that took a turn for the worst.
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It was a perfect storm of circumstances that prevented the neighbors from catching on to the fact that something was seriously wrong in the home.
For starters, according to KTLA, locals said that many of the homes in the carefully manicured gated community are vacation properties or investments, so it wasn’t unusual for them to remain empty for long periods of time.
The homeowners association maintains the exterior of the homes in the community, meaning that there was no overgrown lawn or dying plants to signal that something was wrong.
“My understanding is that the homeowners association maintains the front yard, at least at this home where these individuals lived,” Irvine police Lt. Bill Bingham said, according to KNBC.
“So at first glance, from outside, it’s not immediately apparent that nobody’s been caring for the place for up to a year.”
He also said that the bodies could have been there for up to 18 months.
#BREAKING: 3 “severely decomposing” bodies were found at an Irvine home in what police say appears to be a murder-suicide. https://t.co/1doZLmEKoK
— CBS Los Angeles (@CBSLA) April 7, 2022
But still, it seems almost impossible that no one have noticed their disappearance. Was there no job concerned about a missing employee? No local acquaintances worried about their sudden missing presence?
According to KTTV-TV, Some neighbors also said that the son appeared to be as old as 30, and appeared to have a mental handicap, possibly autism.
Other than these sparse details, little is known about the family and the horribly sad ending they endured. The investigation into the situation is ongoing.
This article appeared originally on The Western Journal.