5 Bodies Found In California Home: Modesto Police Locate ‘Person Of Interest’

Five bodies were found in a California home Saturday, and on Sunday morning, Modesto police reported that they had captured a “person of interest,” the Modesto Bee is reporting.

At about 3:30 p.m. on Saturday, police in the central California city were called to do a welfare check on a home in northeast Modesto. There, according to Modesto police chief information officer Heather Graves, they found five bodies: two adults and three children.

“This is quite a large crime scene, especially with five deceased. They’re still analyzing the scene and getting information.”

Graves also confirmed, via SF Gate, that Modesto police are treating the crime scene as a homicide.

“It’s still early. We don’t know how [they died], but we are investigating it as a murder.”

At the time, police identified 30-year-old Martin Martinez as a person of interest, and asked anyone with information as to his whereabouts to call 911, according to KSBY (San Luis Obispo). Modesto police did not identify why Martinez was a person of interest, or what possible connection he may have had to the murder victims.

At about 2:00 a.m. Sunday morning, Modesto police tweeted that they had “located” Martinez in San Jose, some 80 miles to the west.

Update on Nob Hill Ct homicide: Martin Martinez has been located by @SanJosePD. The investigation in ongoing. No further details available.

— Modesto Police Dept (@ModestoPolice) July 19, 2015

As of this post, it is unclear what the Modesto police mean by having “located” Martinez. It is not known if he has been captured, placed into custody, or simply spotted.

The home where the five bodies were found is in a neighborhood known as Village One, described by the Modesto Bee as an area of four- and five-bedroom homes built in the last decade. Neighbors describe the area as “quiet.” Nearby resident Connie Lycan told the Bee that her family moved there because they wanted to feel safe.

“We used to live on Carpenter Road but we came here because it is quiet. Well it was quiet. No place is safe anymore.”

Another neighbor, Aruna Rao, described the neighborhood as close-knit.

“It’s a community where most people know each other. It’s really scary something like this happening.”

As of this post, Modesto police have not provided the names of the five people whose bodies were found, and have not revealed what possible connection they may have had to Marintez.

[Image courtesy of Shutterstock / bikeriderlondon]