Three stabbed to death in Newton, Massachusetts while suspect still at large

After three elderly people were found dead inside a home on Broadway Street early on Sunday morning, police have now put Newton's Nonantum neighbourhood on high alert. 

Marian Ryan, the district attorney for Middlesex, claimed that there is proof of a forced entry into the house and that the victims had stab wounds and blunt force trauma.

"We are asking people to remain vigilant," Ryan said. "Lock your doors and windows, even if you do not normally do that."

An acquaintance of the victims made the 911 call at 10:14am on Sunday to report the discovery of three bodies inside the house that were thought to be elderly residents. The offender or offender(s) responsible for the deaths remain at large.

A home on Brookside Avenue, about a half-mile from the one on Broadway, was the target of an early Sunday morning break-in attempt. The link between the two incidents is still unknown.

Ryan also advised residents to report or call the Newton Police Department right away in case they hear or see something suspicious. 

"Don't wait until the morning to report that to us. Call tonight," Ryan said.

Nonantum and Newtonville locals are urged to review their home security footage for any oddities. Police officers will be more visible in the neighbourhood, probably until someone is apprehended.

One of the neighbours speaking with WBZ said: "You never know what's going to happen to us." The neighbour also informed WBZ that the three victims were related. "I knew the whole family. They're very close," the neighbour said.

The three victims' names have not been made public. According to Ryan, two of the victims were married, commemorating their 50th wedding anniversary this weekend.

The victims, according to the close-knit community, had a strong connection to the nearby church, and their absence from Sunday's mass alarmed neighbours.

"These were churchgoing people. The only reason they were found is because they weren't in church and somebody came to see if they were OK," neighbour Robin Dickey said.

While detectives tried to figure out what happened inside the home on Sunday, a local priest offered consolation to the neighbourhood.

Additional officers and dispatchers, according to Newton Police Chief John Carmichael, have been hired.

"I am very concerned with such a violent crime taking place and whereas this individual, individuals are still at large," Carmichael said. "We do really emphasise again be vigilant, pay attention to what is happening in the neighborhoods."

The incident comes after a series of mass shootings and stabbings that have occurred in different neighbourhoods across the US, mostly resulting from personal disputes and arguments. Such incidents have ended in the deaths of several people.