COLUMBUS, OH — Columbus police say a young child’s 911 call on Monday afternoon led officers to a home where they found two adults dead inside. Sgt. Joseph Albert said dispatchers received the call shortly before 5 p.m. after the child reported that someone in the residence may have died.
Officers were sent to the 2800 block of Bannon Court at 4:49 p.m. and found a man and a woman dead in separate rooms. Medics later pronounced both adults dead shortly after 5 p.m. The child was still at the home when police arrived.
Police say the adults appeared to be in a domestic relationship
Investigators said the two victims appeared to have been in a domestic relationship, though their identities have not been released. Police have not said how the two died, and the circumstances remain under investigation.
Albert said neither body showed signs of gunshot wounds, and officers do not believe gunfire was involved. That assessment rules out one possible explanation, but police have not described any other cause of death at this point.
No suspect search underway and no danger to the public
Police said they are not looking for any suspects and do not believe there is any threat to the community. That statement suggests investigators are not treating the case as an active criminal search, at least based on what they know so far.
Albert cautioned that it is still too early to label the incident a murder-suicide. Detectives are continuing to sort out what happened inside the home before making any conclusions about the manner of death.
Investigators say the home had no previous police calls
One detail police highlighted is that there were no prior calls for service to the residence. That means Columbus police had no documented history of responding to the Bannon Court home before Monday’s emergency.
For investigators, that can matter because it removes an immediately known record of prior disturbances at the address. It also leaves Monday’s 911 call from the child as the first known police contact at the property in the case.
The child’s call brought officers to the scene
The call from the young child is what brought officers to the residence. Dispatchers were told that someone inside may have died, prompting a response that quickly turned into a death investigation.
Police have not said how old the child is or whether the child is related to the two adults. Officials also have not said where the child is now or whether any other family members were notified.
What police have not yet released about the deaths
Authorities have not released the names of the man and woman, and they have not said what caused either death. They also have not said whether investigators are waiting on autopsy results or any other forensic findings.
For now, the case remains limited to the facts police have confirmed: two adults were found dead in separate rooms, a child made the 911 call, and investigators do not believe there is an ongoing danger to the public.
From the Twin Cities to the border and back, Travel Your Way keeps Minnesota informed.