At least five adults and two children were killed in a US state in what appears to be "execution-style" killings, law enforcement officials said on Friday.
All of the victims were believed to be members of the same family, a statement from Ohio Attorney General Mike DeWine and Pike County Sheriff Charles Reader said, CNN reported.
They were found in three homes in Pike County, a rural community about 80 miles east of Cincinnati.
The situation was not being treated as an active shooting and no arrests have been made, the statement said.
Pastor Phil Fulton of Union Hill Church told CNN affiliate WLWT the situation was "very out of character" for the community.
"It's a tragedy," he said.
The Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation is leading the investigation. It sent more than a dozen agents to assist the Pike County Sheriff's Office after the request for help came in at 8.21 a.m.
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