Border protection officer, family found dead in Florida home in apparent murder-suicide, police say

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A U.S. Customs and Border Protection officer was found dead in his Florida home Thursday afternoon alongside his wife and two children in what police are calling an apparent murder-suicide.

Deputies with the Orange County Sheriff’s Office were dispatched around 3 p.m. to perform a welfare check on the residents, who had not been heard from for some time, Sheriff John Mina said during a press conference later that day.

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A preliminary investigation gave officers grounds to enter the home, at which point they discovered four deceased people.

The border patrol agent was identified as Ezequiel Almodovar, 39, who was assigned to the Orlando International Airport. CBP called local authorities to check on the officer after not hearing from him for an undisclosed period of time.

He is understood to have shot dead his wife Marielis Soto, 38, his son Ezequiel Almodovar, 16, and Gabriel Almodovar, 12.

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Mina said that the male suspect appeared to have shot his family before turning the gun on himself in an apparent murder-suicide. He would not say how long the bodies had been inside the home.

Earlier this week, a Facebook post purportedly from Ezequiel Sr., cited by The Sun, wrote that they were headed to Disney World's Animal Kingdom.

"Family time.. we needed this.. no school, now work, no adult bull**** just family time and enjoying life through eyes of kids.. love you baby."

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Authorities did not release a motive behind the killings, citing the ongoing investigation, but Mina noted that the shootings took place in a “quiet neighborhood” and that police have not been called to the home before, to the best of his knowledge.

Fox News' Chris Irvine contributed to this report.