2 young children, mother slain inside Sacramento-area home; father says he found their bodies

SACRAMENTO, Calif. - A mother and her two toddlers were found violently slain inside their home in suburban Sacramento Tuesday afternoon, sending police scrambling for leads in the residential neighbourhood. A 6 month-old infant was later found crying inside a crib in the back of the house, authorities said.

A Sacramento County Sheriff's office spokesman said the children's father found the horrific scene around 3:30 p.m. when he came back to his home in Rancho Cordova, which is about 15 miles east of the state capital.

Spokesman Deputy Jason Ramos said both the children, a 2 year-old boy and 3 year-old girl, and their mother, who was in her 20s, suffered "a lot of trauma."

The father, who was married to the slain mother, ran to the home of a neighbour, who called the police. Ramos said officers found the "extremely distraught" man sitting in front of the house when they arrived. The family is of eastern European descent.

Ramos said officers were not yet revealing the method of death, but did remark on the extreme brutality of the crime.

"This is somebody who confronted a family inside their homes and took their lives very violently," he said. "It's shocking, even to veteran law enforcement"

Officers detained both the father and the neighbour for questioning, though they have not been identified either suspects, and are canvassing the neighbourhood for leads.

By early evening, police and television reporters had poured into the block of ranch-style houses around the corner from an elementary school.

Several television reporters said that the officers exiting the home were visibly shaken.

Ramos said officers "rarely see" a crime of this magnitude.

"We're looking into everything; we have a mom and two kids dead," he said.