Nov. 22, 2006 — Investigators had no new information Wednesday in the apparent triple homicide that claimed the lives of three adults and their pet in an Estate LaValle home Tuesday. However, officials have released a photo of 32-year-old Ivan Petric Jr., the man taken into custody Tuesday initially as a person of interest after the bodies were discovered, and later arrested and charged with unauthorized possession of a firearm.
Petric had been taken into custody shortly after 3:30 p.m. Tuesday when the gruesome crime was discovered by police dispatched to investigate earlier reports of shots fired in the area.
The victims, whom police had earlier described as a "mother, father and child" are a 69-year-old woman, a 75-year-old man and a 31-year-old male — all residents of Estate La Vallee, on the island's north shore.
Police are withholding their names pending notification of next of kin.
Officials have said that a medical examiner will determine the time and cause of death.
Richards said Wednesday that she did not immediately know when autopsy results would be available.
According to preliminary police reports, police were dispatched to the La Vallee area at approximately 8:30 a.m. Tuesday after receiving reports of a vehicle blocking a driveway. Officers responding to the call also received information that shots had been fired in the immediate vicinity. In the course of conducting a follow-up investigation, officers discovered the bodies of the slain individuals.
In a statement released shortly after the bodies were discovered Tuesday, St. Croix Deputy Police Chief Herminio Velazquez said police were investigating the circumstances of the homicides and are considering that the incident may have stemmed from a domestic dispute.
Anyone with information on this crime or any incident is urged to contact the Criminal Investigation Bureau hotline at (340) 778-4950 or 911. All information will remain confidential.
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