Father, 2 young children found dead in home in Southwest Ohio

GRATIS TOWNSHIP, Ohio — An investigation is underway after a man and his two young children were found dead Monday in their Southwest Ohio home, according to reports.

Preble County Sheriff Mike Simpson tells WHIO Channel 7 the bodies were found Monday morning during a welfare check. The sheriff said deputies had to make a forcible entry into the home.

The sheriff’s office has not released the identities of the children or their father. It also has provided no details on how they died, according to reports.

The Journal-News reports the children were students in the Preble Shawnee Local School District, one a fourth-grader and the other a seventh-grader. The district’s superintendent reportedly sent a letter to families confirming the deaths.

The district says it will provide counselors for students when they return to school on Tuesday.

“This is a very difficult time for everyone,” Superintendent Todd Bowling says in the letter, according to the Journal-News. “However, we will support each other and work together to support our students.”

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