MELROSE, Fla. – Two teenage boys were found dead Wednesday inside a home in Melrose, according to family and the Putnam County Sheriff’s Office.
The boys were ages 12 and 14, family confirmed to News4Jax.
A man, who identified himself as the teens’ grandfather, said the boys’ mother was sleeping in the back room of the home on Shiloh Road, and when she woke up, she found her sons’ bodies and then ran to his house nearby. The man said his wife called 911 for help while he and his daughter went back to her house. He said he tried to see if he could revive the boys, who appeared to have been stabbed, but there was nothing he could do.
Deputies said that when they responded to the home shortly after 10:30 a.m. Wednesday, they found the boys’ bodies and two people who were unharmed.
“This is being investigated as a double homicide,” the Sheriff’s Office said. “This is believed to be an isolated incident with no threat to the community.”
The Florida Department of Law Enforcement also responded to the scene, and deputies said Shiloh Road, which is off of State Road 26, was blocked for several hours as the investigation continued.
Deputies said multiple people will be interviewed at the Sheriff’s Office.
The grandfather said he believes someone entered the home while his daughter was sleeping and killed his grandsons.
According to the grandfather, the mother and her sons moved to the home two weeks ago from Lakeland. Sheriff Gator DeLoach said his office is aware that the home had just been purchased around the time when the family moved in.
“To my knowledge, we haven’t had any prior calls for service since they moved here,” DeLoach said
Neighbors in the rural community were left in disbelief.
“It’s really crazy when you live in such a small little area that is normally an elderly community for something like this to happen. It’s crazy. It really is crazy,” said neighbor Kortney Masters. “You never expect something like this.”
Another neighbor was so frightened by what happened that she asked to not be identified because no arrests have been made.
“I’m a registered nurse and daughter of a policeman, so it was just shocking,” she said. “I just hate it. There is nothing you can do about it.”
Any residents in the area who may have seen or heard anything suspicious in the last 24 to 48 hours are asked to contact the Sheriff’s Office at 386-329-0800 or CrimeStoppers of Northeast Florida at 1-888-277-8477.