By Kim Minugh and Ed Fletcher
kminugh@sacbee.com
Sacramento County Sheriff's Department officials are looking for a minivan they believe was stolen from the Rancho Cordova duplex where three bodies were discovered this afternoon.
The van is a white Chrysler Town and Country van with a California license plate of 6LFY276.
Authorities believe the van was stolen from the duplex where a young mother and her two toddlers were found dead.
Deputies were called to a home in the 10100 block of Desoto Way after the woman's husband, who is also the children's father, came home and found the bodies, said Sgt. Jason Ramos. The man didn't have access to a phone and went to a neighbors house for help, fearing that possible attackers were still in his home. The neighbor then called 911 about 3:30 p.m., Ramos said.
Deputies arriving at the house found the the bodies of the woman, described as being in her 20s, and a 3-year-old girl and 2-year-old boy dead in one room. A third child, a 6-month-old boy, was found crying but unharmed in another room, Ramos said.
Ramos said the cause of death is not yet known, but there was extensive trauma to the bodies.
"It's a very violent scene, obviously, inside," Ramos said.
The father has been detained for questioning but is not considered a suspect, and no suspect information has been developed, Ramos said.
PHOTO CAPTION: Rancho Cordova Sheriff officer holds a child that was unharmed in the triple homicide on De Soto Way in Rancho Cordova, California on Tuesday afternoon, October 23, 2012.
PHOTO CREDIT: Kim Minugh
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