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Savvas Savopoulos, his 47-year-old wife Amy Savopoulos, their 10-year-old son Phillip, and 57-year-old housekeeper Veralicia Figueroa were all found dead inside of their burning home in the 3200 block of Woodland Drive Thursday afternoon.
Police Chief Cathy Lanier said at least three of the victims had suffered stab wounds or blunt force injuries and that all four were homicides.
She says the injuries occurred before the fire was set on Thursday afternoon.
Authorities gave no immediate details on who might have killed them or why.
Police say a Porsche 911 belonging to the family was found on Thursday night in Hyattsville, Maryland.
The car had been set ablaze in a church car park.
Investigators say there was no evidence to suggest forced entry into the Savopouloses’ home.
An employee of the family received a text message from Amy Savopoulos’ phone at 9am on Thursday that read: “Stay home, we’re not feeling well.”
The employee tried to call Mrs Savopoulos about an hour later, but received no answer.
The family are survived by two teenage daughters, who friends said were at their boarding schools.
Mr Savopoulos was the president and chief executive of American Iron Works, a construction firm.
The murders have shocked residents in the exclusive neighbourhood, where the family had lived for more than a decade.
Coco Palomeque, a friend and neighbour, told the Washington Post the Savopouloses were “a beautiful family”.
“The community where they lived really loved them,” she said.
About 180 people gathered to mourn them on Friday afternoon at Washington National Cathedral.
Agencies/Canadajournal
They probably went for both. He did have that plastic bag. If there were clothes in the bag or something that he was trying to dispose of, why not leave it in the car to be burned up? It probably was $$ from the safe. I hope they catch these guys soon.
Devoted family man – both teenage daughters are at boarding school? Kind of hard to be devoted and deeply involved when they’re not around.
He probably had a gun to his head to call her not come in OR he called her himself to save her life. I can’t begin to imagine the torture they were put through for a whole day – stabbing, beating, tied up. Argh! It’s like a horror movie. And those poor daughters will be SO messed up. Teenage years are worst to go through something else. Who can blame them if they turn to drugs? Horrible.