6 people, including a child, found dead in Chicago

CHICAGO -- Five adults and a child were found dead Thursday afternoon in a home in the Gage Park neighborhood on Chicago's Southwest Side.

Police conducting a well-being check discovered the six bodies around 1:30 p.m. in the 5700-block of S. California. The victims are believed to be four men, a woman, and a child between the ages of 10 and 12.

"There are signs of trauma to the bodies," Interim Supt. John Escalante said. He declined to say how the victims were killed.

Police said they received a 911 call from a man who reported his coworker had failed to show up to work the last two days.

Responding officers viewed what they believed to be a body on the floor inside the home, Escalante said. They then discovered the six bodies in different locations inside the residence.

"We don't know at this time that there is a threat to the community. There's a very real possibility that this is all something internal that was contained within the residence," Escalante said.

A family friend said a mother and a father, perhaps in their 50s, live in the home. She also said their daughter and son in theirs 30s live there, and the daughter has two young sons, ages 12 and 13.

A United Airlines worker said he works with a man who lives in the home, washing windows in O'Hare Airport's Terminal 2. He said the man, who he said is in his 30s, regularly sold tamales to his co-workers.

At this point, police have not confirmed the identities of the victims. However, Escalante said it is "very probable" that the victims are of the same family.

Evidence technicians and the Cook County medical examiner are on the scene. California between 57th and 58th has been shut down to traffic as police continue to investigate.

"This is going to take some time because we want to be thorough and careful to collect as much evidence as we can," Escalante said.

Police patrols have been stepped up in the neighborhood as a precaution, Escalante said.