Four bodies found in Etten-Leur home; Crime suspected

The bodies of four people were found inside a house in Etten-Leur, Noord-Brabant on Saturday night, police said. The victims were possibly residents of the home, prompting a criminal investigation.

Firefighters were initially dispatched to the scene shortly after 6:10 p.m. when foul smell was reported in the area. Police descended on the scene a little while later. Once there, the deceased were found in the Dassenburcht home.

"Various police services are investigating what happened in the home," authorities said. "The investigation shows that this may be a crime in which four people died. They are possibly the residents."

A family resides in the home, including two young children and their grandmother, neighbors told newspaper BN DeStem. Neighbors expressed shock, and feared the worst. "I always see them playing," one said of the children living in the house.

"Tonight I received the horrible news that a number of people have been found dead in a house on Dasseburcht," said Etten-Leur mayor Miranda de Vries on Twitter. "The police are investigating the circumstances. My condolences go out to the next of kin."

The investigation is ongoing, police said.