A family of four has been found dead in their Buenos Aires City apartment in a shocking triple homicide that has rocked the Argentine capital.

The victims, Ian and Ivo Seltzer, aged 12 and 15, and their father, Bernardo Seltzer, 53 were found by a housekeeper when she arrived at the apartment in the Villa Crespo neighborhood on Wednesday morning. Laura Leguizamón, 51, the mother and wife who was also found dead at the scene, is at the center of the story.

A source from city police told the Herald they are investigating the incident as a domestic crime and have confirmed that the homicides were committed by the mother of the family before she died by suicide. They have ruled out any kind of outside intrusion to the property.

Investigators concluded that Leguizamón was responsible based on the fact that her body has the least rigidity, indicating that she was the last of the family to die. She was found in the bathroom of the house and presented no defensive wounds. 

Her husband, Bernardo, was found dead in the couple’s bed with several wounds. He was most likely asleep under the effects of the sedative at the time, given that there are no signs that he fought back. Both teenage children were surprised in their rooms. One died in the room, the other in a hallway, which has led investigators to assume that he was attempting to flee the scene. Both children had wounds to their back as well as defensive wounds.

Investigators have also said that a letter was found in the kitchen written by someone who was not in their right state of mind. The piece of paper, which the Herald has seen, has many handwritten sentences that point to distress but offer no clear motive. “We were heading to the streets,” “It was a lot,” “Everything was bad, perverse,” “I was ruining their lives,” and “I love you all” were some of the phrases.

The police source said that investigators believe that Laura Leguizamón, who was undergoing psychiatric treatment at the time of the crimes, was the author of the letter. The main hypothesis as to why the murders took place is that she suffered some sort of psychotic episode that triggered the violence. The medical professional who was treating Leguizamón has already been identified and has been called in to testify

Bernardo Seltzer had been an agro-business consultant for the past 20 years. Both he and Laura Leguizamón were active on social media, where they shared family trips and leisurely activities. Interviewed by C5N, a family neighbor called Luciano described them as “very kind with the kids and always willing to help.” 

The two boys attended the ORT school in Almagro. The institution put out a statement expressing their “profound shock” over the death of their students and carried out a “moment of silence” in their memory. They will also keep the school’s flags at half-mast for the entire week.