A married couple and their 10-year-old son found dead with gunshot wounds at a Maywood residential fire were identified by county authorities Tuesday.
The Los Angeles County Fire Department responded to a fire around 2:25 a.m. Saturday in the 5000 block of East 61st Street, a couple blocks west of the Long Beach (710) Freeway.
Arriving crews saw smoke coming from a two-story residence. Deputies, along with fire department personnel, extinguished the fire and conducted a search of the residence for any victims.
“During the search, they discovered inside a bedroom, three individuals, one male adult in his late 40s, a female adult in her late 40s, and a male child under the age of 10, suffering from apparent gunshot wounds,” the sheriff’s department said. All three were pronounced dead at the scene.
The man was identified as Thomas Avants, 48, who died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head, according to the Los Angeles County medical examiner’s office.
The victims were identified as Jeannette Avants, 48, and Elias Avants, 7. Both were also shot in the head.
“The incident appears to be domestic violence in nature. The two adults are married, and the child is their biological child,” the LASD said.
A handgun was found in the room where the three deceased individuals were, the sheriff’s department said.
The department added that there was no threat to the community.
Homicide detectives were dispatched to the scene and authorities were seen interviewing neighbors. Anyone with information about the case was urged to contact the LASD at 323-890-5500. Those who wish to report anonymous tips can do so at 800-222-TIPS (8477), or lacrimestoppers.org.