Toddler and 4 family members found fatally shot in Polk County
LIVINGSTON, Texas (KTRK) -- Investigators walked into a horrific crime scene at a Polk County ranch home Monday morning where they found five people killed, with the youngest just 15 months old.
Little Ranley Horn was found with gunshot wounds outside the home on the 3600 block of FM 3126 outside Livingston. Ranley was near the body of her mother, 27-year-old Ashley Horn. Ashley's grandmother, 72-year-old Linda Delaney, was also found dead outside.
Once inside, deputies found Linda's 74-year-old husband, Carlos, along with 54-year-old Randy Horn. All the victims appeared to be shot, according to investigators.
"This is a horrible, horrific scene -- a horrible, horrific crime," said Polk County Sheriff's Office Chief Deputy Byron Lyons.
Investigators are hesitant to label the incident a murder-suicide, saying they prefer to wait and hear from the medical examiner on the official causes of death first. However, they are not searching for any suspects.
"At this time, no arrests have been made," Lyons said. "Nor at this point are we looking for any suspects. We want the community to know they are safe."
A sixth person, Ashley's mother, was inside at the time of the shooting. She told authorities she hid in a bedroom and wasn't hurt. She called her son, who contacted authorities around 10:30 a.m. Monday.
"The other female who survived this started hearing noises and pops somewhere around 5:30 this morning," Lyons said.
The sole survivor is not physically hurt, but she lost her parents, daughter, granddaughter and son-in-law.
"What I would ask is the community pray for this family," Lyons said. "Pray for this community. This is something we're not used to."
