3 Found Dead in New Castle House

NEW CASTLE (KDKA) -- Police in Lawrence County are investigating the deaths of two women and a 12-year-old boy found inside a home in New Castle.

Police found the bodies of a 40-year-old woman, her 12-year-old son and her mother inside a home in the 800-block of South Mercer Street.

According to authorities, all three of the victims had been shot in the head at close range.

The grandmother and boy were found in a second floor bedroom, while police say the mother was found on the first floor of the home.

Police arrived at the home around 12:30 p.m. after a concerned neighbor called authorities.

"The call was to check the welfare of the residents because, believe it or not, one of their animals, their cat, was at the neighbor's house. They were concerned [because] the cat doesn't usually go over and eat cat food from the neighbors," said Chief Thomas Sansone, of the New Castle Police Department. "They were concerned that they didn't see the family either."

Investigators say they found a gun inside the home, but they aren't sure if it was used in the crime. There was no sign of forced entry.

Authorities also say that it appears the bodies had been in the home for several days.