Milwaukee police say 4 'persons of interest' in custody after 6 adults found dead in home
6 adults found dead with gunshot wounds in Milwaukee home on Sunday
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Investigators in Milwaukee are holding four persons of interest for questioning in connection with the deaths of six people found with gunshot wounds in a home on Sunday afternoon.
The four in custody are adults and are considered "persons of interest," Milwaukee Police Chief Jeffrey Norman said at a news conference Thursday. The chief said police are still working to determine their involvement, if any, to the case.
6 ADULTS FOUND DEAD IN MILWAUKEE HOME IDENTIFIED, MULTIPLE HOMICIDE INVESTIGATION CONTINUES
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Norman said that investigators, at this point, do not believe it is a murder-suicide case, and believe multiple suspects targeted the six victims.
Six people, five men and a woman, were found dead in a Milwaukee home near 21st and Wright Sunday afternoon. (WITI)
Police didn’t release a motive and no charges have been referred to the Milwaukee County District Attorney's Office as of Thursday.
Norman also said that police are looking into a 911 call made 12 hours before the discovery of the victims. The caller claimed she was a victim of a shooting and gave two addresses to police. However, officers found no evidence of a shooting and later located the caller and determined she was not a shooting victim.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}The caller's connection to the case remains under investigation, police said. Norman did not say whether she was one of the four persons of interest.
The bodies of four males and one female were found around 3:45 p.m. inside the home near North 21st Street and West Wright Street during a welfare check, Milwaukee police have said. The body of a fifth male was later recovered from the home. Detectives are investigating the deaths as homicides.
Police said the deaths are being investigated as multiple homicides. (WITI)
The victims were identified as Charles Hardy, 42; Caleb Jordan, 23; Javoni Liddell, 31; Donta "Michael" Williams, 44; Michelle Williams, 49; and 43-year-old Donald Smith, FOX6 Milwaukee reported.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Reports from the medical examiner show that Michelle Williams, Donta "Michael" Williams and Donald Smith lived together in the home. Family confirmed to the station that Michelle and Donta were married. The relationships of the other victims were not immediately clear.
Three of the six victims appeared to be in a witness list related to a 2020 homicide, according to reporters, but police said that so far it is not believed to have any connection to their murders.
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{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}The apparent murders come on the heels of a record-breaking year for homicides in Milwaukee County, where the medical examiner’s office confirmed in a Dec. 28 tweet that a record 220 killings were investigated in 2021.
As of Monday, Milwaukee County has recorded 23 murders – a 155% increase compared to nine homicides recorded during the same period last year, the medical examiner said.