Investigators are working to determine what caused a domestic violence situation that led to the deaths of a father and son in a Surprise neighborhood.
Silvio Alessi, 53, and his 21-year-old son George Alessi were found dead at the family's home near Rusty Lane and Reems Road on Wednesday.
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The Maricopa County Medical Examiner's Office has not yet released the cause of death of the elder Alessi, whose body was found in the living room. Investigators say, however, that the man had blunt force trauma to his head believed to have been caused by a handheld hatchet.
The younger Alessi was found still alive in the kitchen with what appeared to be a single gunshot to his head, authorities said. A small-caliber handgun was found next to him, according to investigators. George was airlifted to a local hospital where he was later pronounced dead.
Both men were found by Silvio's wife, who is also George's mother.
Officials said that although there was no documented history of domestic violence between the two men, the investigation revealed that this incident was related to domestic violence.
