“We believe somebody came to this residence to do ill, did it, and then has left.

Mr. Swafford said that when the police arrived, they found a back bedroom of the house, a single-level, ranch-style residence, on fire, but he said the fire was not being investigated as a cause of the deaths.

The authorities entered through the garage, where they found three of the bodies, Mr. Swafford said.

The cause of the fire was not known, he said.

No one else was in the house when the authorities arrived, he said.