3 fatally stabbed in northwestern Montana, 4th body found

KALISPELL, Mont. (AP) — A man, a woman and a 3-year-old child were stabbed to death in a home in northwestern Montana and the body of a fourth person was found nearby in an apparent triple homicide-suicide, Flathead County Sheriff Brian Heino said Tuesday.

Officers responded to the house near Olney when a neighbor called 911 at about 7 a.m. Tuesday, Heino said. Olney is about 20 miles (32 kilometers) northwest of Whitefish.

The deaths were believed to have occurred late Monday or early Tuesday, Heino said.

“It’s a pretty shocking scene,” he said.

The body of the fourth person was found near a vehicle near the residence, Heino said. He did not say how the fourth person died. The bodies were being taken to the state crime lab for autopsies, he said.

Authorities did not immediately release the identities of the people killed because family members were still being notified. Heino planned to release additional information Tuesday afternoon.