Man, woman, her daughter, 10, found slain in New Castle

NEW CASTLE, Pa. (AP) - The deaths of a man, a woman and a 10-year-old girl found in a New Castle home as a triple homicide, police said Tuesday.

New Castle police in a statement identified the victims as Nichole Pumphrey, 31, her daughter Amariah Emery and 31-year-old Lawrence Cannon.

Chief Robert Salem, of the New Castle police department, told reporters the deaths apparently occurred overnight. Officers were called to the scene shortly after 8:30 a.m. Tuesday.

"We're still investigating the circumstances behind the incident," he said.

Salem said there were four other children in the home when police arrived, and they were interviewed and then released to relatives.

"Anytime there is a young child involved in a homicide, it's horrific for us. It's a hard case to process," Salem said.

A man at the scene who identified himself as Lawrence Williams told reporters he was Cannon's father and that his son had moved back to New Castle from Oklahoma City just two weeks ago. He tearfully called the deaths "senseless" and said he knew of no enemies that his son may have had.

The New Castle Area School District sent a letter to parents notifying them of "a tragedy with the death of a child which affects us all very deeply."

City and state police are investigating; anyone with information is being asked to call local police or leave tips on the department's website.