Signs of foul play at South Hill home where 4 people found dead Tuesday, deputies say

Update:

The Pierce County Sheriff’s Department has found a total of four bodies inside a home in the 18900 block of Eastwood Avenue East in South Hill, spokesperson deputy Carly Cappetto told The News Tribune via voicemail Tuesday evening.

Multiple welfare check requests for South Hill residence before bodies found

Deputies found the additional two adult bodies after obtaining a search warrant to go through the rest of the residence, having initially gone to the home to do a welfare check when they found the first two, a man and a woman, dead upon entry, according to Cappetto.

The ages and genders of the two additional people are not yet available, she said.

Asked if there are signs of homicidal violence, Cappetto said in a phone call at around 7 p.m. that the scene shows signs of foul play. The Sheriff’s Department also doesn’t believe the individuals died because of carbon monoxide poisoning. There are no outstanding suspects, and deputies believe the incident is contained to the home where the bodies were found, according to Cappetto.

The News Tribune also asked what state or condition the bodies were found in and about any wounds or injuries. Cappetto said, “It’s hard to say,” but deputies can’t distinguish the approximate ages or genders of some of the people found just by looking at the bodies.

“That might give you a little insight into what we’re dealing with,” she said.

A previous welfare check had been done on the residence, but the reporting party’s information did not give the Sheriff’s Department enough reason to believe at that time that anyone would be dead in the home, and deputies were not able to claim exigent circumstances to get into the home without a warrant, according to Cappetto.

The next time the Sheriff’s Department received a call for a welfare check, the reporting party had enough information for the Sheriff’s Department to suspect that something was going on. Deputies were able to claim exigent circumstances to get into the home and find the first man and woman dead, then obtain a warrant to search the rest of the home, she said.

Original post:

Deputies found a man and a woman dead in a residence in the 18900 block of Eastwood Avenue East in South Hill on Tuesday, according to the Pierce County Sheriff’s Department.

Dispatched for a welfare check at 10:49 a.m., the deputies found them upon entry, the Pierce County Sheriff’s Department posted on X.

Detectives are investigating, and the cause of the two individuals’ deaths is unknown, the post said.

Editor’s note: This story has been updated with more information about the scene of the death investigation.