MARION COUNTY, Fla.,None — It started as a house fire in one Marion County home, but as time went on Friday, investigators learned that it was the scene of a quadruple murder too.
AT THE SCENE: Pics Of Damaged Home, Neighbors
The bodies of four people, including two young children, were found in the home Friday morning. The children were 7 and 9 years old.
Emergency crews first arrived at the scene of the fire on Northwest Fifth Street in Ocala shortly before 1:00 a.m. on Friday.
Deputies are investigating it as a quadruple murder. Investigators announced on Saturday the four victims had been shot to death before the fire started.
"The injuries the victim's sustained are not consistent with dying from the fire," said Jen Fisher of the Marion County Sheriff's Office.
Outside the gutted Ocala home, friends and family arrived to mourn the four people who died there, especially 9-year-old Cordarrian Hill and 7-year-old Corderica Hill. The siblings were playmates of Cathy Jones' grandchildren.
"To know that your child, your grandkids got burned up in a house. Oh, that's terrible," said Jones.
Neighbors from around the area of the fire rushed to the house but were unable to help.
"All flamed up. You could see the smoke in the sky. It was bad. They tried to put it out. It was really bad," said neighbor Tenneesha Gordon.
One of the victims was identified as 27-year-old Jocalyn Gray. The Sheriff's Office said she arrived at the home just before the fire started. Her SUV still sat in the driveway Monday afternoon. Her own children were in the vehicle and were rescued by a neighbor as flames engulfed the house.
The sheriff's office said the Hill children's mother died a few years ago. The father of the dead children, Willie Hill, lived in the home but is currently in the Marion County Jail.
Deputies are working to identity the fourth victim.
Authorities said they are offering a $5,000 reward for the tip that leads to the killer or killers.
WFTV
