PHOENIX — A toddler and two infants are among the five family members that were found dead Wednesday morning at a north Phoenix home.
Police made the grim discovery after they responded to the area near the intersection of Northern and 7th Avenues, the department said.
The victims' family nanny called 911 after she found an unresponsive person in the home with a strong gas odor a little after 8 a.m., neighbors and police told 12News.
Phoenix firefighters and Glendale Fire Hazardous Materials teams arrived on the scene and "quickly mitigated the danger," police said. "This is an extremely tragic situation, a tragedy for the community."
The deceased have been identified as:
- Marla Jordan Hudgens, 40
- Christopher Hudgens, 3
- Gwen Hudgens, 6 months
- Faye Hudgens, 6 months
- Jasen Michael Hudgens, 44
Police said Jasen is suspected of killing the other members of the family before shooting himself.
The presence of gas was detected at the home when firefighters arrived at the scene. Crews had to air out the home and couldn't get inside for hours.
Once police officers could enter the home, they discovered two adults and three children deceased with obvious signs of trauma, Phoenix police said.
Southwest Gas responded to the scene and found no gas leaks at or near the home. Video captured by Sky12 captured a propane tank outside the home.
"You would see the kids playing, and you know it's just hard, no matter what having little children losing their lives, it's horrible," said neighbor Hailey LeBlanc. "It's nothing you want to hear about, so no matter how kids lose their lives, it's hard."
"Just the fact it was a 3-year-old and 6-month-old twins, it killed me to hear that," said LeBlanc. "We would see the kids, their 3-year-old son out playing. He'd play soccer together, these families they would be out playing, a ton of little kids always."
"It's tragic, and it affects everybody in the neighborhood whether you knew them or not," said LeBlanc."That's the thing; it doesn't happen here, it doesn't happen here."
"They were completely wonderful neighbors," said a woman who did not want to be identified but described herself as a close friend.
"What I want everybody to know [is] this was never a thought in our mind. We knew they were marriage struggles, but not to this degree," the woman added.
Marla Hudgens was a partner at the Lewis Roca law firm in Phoenix.
“We are in complete shock and are only just beginning to process this awful tragedy. Marla was a passionate lawyer and advocate for her clients. She was an equally passionate leader who worked tirelessly to make our firm a better place," Lewis Roca wrote in a statement.
Hudgens was also a soccer coach for Phoenix's Madison Futbol Club, which memorialized Hudgens in a statement on social media.
"Marla means so much to so many, and was instrumental in building our girls club division," the club stated.
This is a developing story. Tune in to 12News for the latest information.
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