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5 family members found dead in Stark County home; police investigating incident as quadruple murder-suicide

Police officers located the bodies while performing a welfare check on Carnation Avenue in Lake Township. Three children were among those killed.

STARK COUNTY, Ohio — Police in Stark County confirm five members of the same family are dead following an apparent "domestic dispute turned deadly" on Thursday.

Authorities in Uniontown confirm the victims were found inside a home within the 13000 block of Carnation Avenue Northwest in Lake Township. Officers located the bodies while performing a welfare check just after 7:30 p.m.

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At this time, the incident is being investigated as a murder-suicide. According to the Stark County Coroner's Office, 46-year-old Jason Dunham, his 42-year-old wife Melissa, and their kids — 15-year-old Renee, 12-year-old Amber, and 9-year-old Evan — died of gunshot wounds. Additionally, Harry Campbell, chief investigator for the Stark County Coroner's Office, told 3News' Lindsay Buckingham that Jason Dunham's wound was "consistent with being self-inflicted."

Lake Local Schools, where all three children attended, had a crisis response team and grief counselors available to students and staff today, Superintendent Kevin Tobin confirmed to WKYC. Uniontown police say there was no history of police calls from the family's home. BCI and other departments are still investigating a motive. 

A "Remembering The Dunham Family" vigil was held on Saturday at 7 p.m. at Hartville Memorial Park, behind Lake Elementary School. 3News' Emma Henderson was in attendance Saturday. Her report on the community vigil can be seen in the video above.

Stay with 3News for updates on this story as it continues to develop.

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