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Four die in Florida family murder-suicide

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updated 7:50 p.m. ET June 15, 2009

HEATHROW, Florida - A man shot his two children and wife to death before turning the gun on himself in a home in a gated community in suburban Orlando, Florida, authorities said Monday.

The bodies were discovered Monday, but detectives believe the triple murder and suicide may have taken place several days earlier.

The bodies were discovered Monday by a cleaning woman, but detectives believe the killings may have been days earlier. Neighbors in the unincorporated suburb about 20 miles northeast of Orlando say the last time they saw vehicles coming out of the driveway was Friday, said Capt. Dennis Lemma, a spokesman for the Seminole County Sheriff's Office.

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The family members were identified as John Dillon Wood, 41; Cynthia Wood, 40; their daughter, Aubrey Wood, 12; and their son, Dillon Wood, 10.

Lemma said the deaths appear to be a murder-suicide and that investigators "don't believe there's anybody running around out there who did this."

Detectives didn't immediately suggest a motive.

"This is a family who was well-known in the neighborhood," Lemma said. "With children that age, in a residential community like this, a lot of the kids played together and went to school together."

Copyright 2009 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

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