TROY, N.Y. (AP) - The Latest on a quadruple homicide in upstate New York (all times local):
6:05 p.m.
The sister of a woman who was found slain along with her two young children and her lesbian lover in an upstate New York basement apartment says she’s now raising the woman’s only remaining son.
Shakera Symes tells Spectrum News in Albany the entire family is devastated over the killings of Shanta Myers, her 5-year-old daughter, her 11-year-old son and Brandi Mells. The four were found dead Tuesday in an apartment they shared in Troy, just north of Albany.
Police are looking for the killer. Details about when and how the four were killed have not been released.
Symes says Myers’ older son has been living with her for about two months. She says she last spoke with her sister last week.
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1:50 p.m.
A pastor says a woman and her two children among four people killed in an upstate New York basement apartment were much loved and respected in the neighborhood.
The Rev. Jackie Robinson is a member of the African American Pastoral Alliance in Troy. He says Shanta Myers had worked as a bus monitor and her children were active in youth programs.
Police say Myers; her 5-year-old daughter, Shanise; and her 11-year-old son, Jeremiah, were found dead Tuesday. Also killed was Myers’ partner, Brandi Mells.
Robinson says he knows nothing about Mells.
Robinson says children at the youth center where Jeremiah played basketball were distraught and crying over news of the killings. He says community members are nervous because the killer remains at large.
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12:40 p.m.
Authorities have released the names of two women and two children slain in their upstate New York apartment and police are asking the public for information.
Troy police on Thursday identified the victims as 36-year-old Shanta Myers; her children, 11-year-old Jeremiah Myers and 5-year-old Shanise Myers; and 22-year-old Brandi Mells. Police say the women were in a relationship.
Officials have released few details since a property manager found the bodies Tuesday in a basement apartment in a home along the Hudson River in Troy, just north of Albany.
Police Chief John Tedesco says he has “never seen savagery like this” in 42 years in law enforcement.
Police are asking the public for any information relating to the case. No suspect has been identified publicly.
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