MORRISVILLE, Pa. (AP) — A Pennsylvania woman charged along with her teenage daughter in the deaths of five relatives, including three children, was arraigned Tuesday on murder charges.
The bodies were found Monday inside an apartment in suburban Philadelphia.
Bucks County District Attorney Matthew Weintraub says 45-year-old Shana S. Decree and 19-year-old Dominique Decree are charged with five counts of homicide and one count each of conspiracy.
Shana Decree was arraigned early Tuesday, while her daughter was expected to make her initial court appearance later in the day.
It wasn’t clear if either woman has retained an attorney.
The victims included Shana Decree’s children Naa’Irah Smith, 25, and Damon Decree Jr., 13, both of Morrisville; as well as Shana Decree’s sister Jamilla Campbell, 45, of Trenton, New Jersey, and Campbell’s 9-year-old twin daughters Imani and Erika Allen.
Weintraub said that authorities are looking for Campbell’s 17-year-old son Joshua. He stressed that the teen is not a suspect in the slayings and that they just want to “ensure his safety.”
“I wanted to make sure everybody knew that the people who committed these atrocious acts are now in custody and (will) be made to pay for their crimes,” Weintraub said at the scene late Monday night.
The bodies were found about 4 p.m. Monday after police went to check on the welfare of residents at a unit in the Robert Morris Apartments in Morrisville, about 30 miles (48 kilometers) northeast of Philadelphia.
Weintraub said the causes of death remain under investigation and that it was premature to discuss a motive.