The tiny town of Laurel, Nebraska, was rocked on Thursday by the mysterious deaths of four people found in two burning homes, authorities said.
All four bodies were discovered with gunshot wounds, the Nebraska State Patrol confirmed in a press release Friday. The agency said Laurel resident Jason Jones, 42, has been arrested in connection with the killings, but no motive has been released.
Reports of an explosion at the first home came around 3 a.m., said Colonel John A. Bolduc of the Nebraska State Patrol. First responders rushed to the scene and found one person, 53-year-old Michelle Ebeling, dead inside the house.
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While the city’s volunteer firefighters and police were at the scene, a second explosion and fire broke out shortly after—about three blocks north of the first scene. Inside a burning home, Bolduc said three bodies were found: Gene Twiford, 86, Janet Twiford, 85, and Dana Twiford, 55. All three were residents of the home.
The colonel did acknowledge that those involved likely knew each other, especially given the size of Laurel—which is home to just 974 residents.
“Incidents like this can change a community,” Bolduc said.
Bolduc said Thursday that a potential suspect may have fled the scene shortly after the explosion in a silver sedan with a passenger inside. Ultimately, state troopers arrested Jones after a SWAT team raided his home and found him in his bedroom, suffering from severe burns.
Authorities say Jones was transported to a hospital in Lincoln to treat his injuries.
Doug Furlich posted on Facebook that he heard an explosion around 3 a.m. Thursday and looked outside. There, he saw smoke billowing from a home two blocks away.
Furlich said he went to do his own investigating but was stopped by responding authorities. Soon after, he posted that he saw more smoke, this time from a house two blocks north of him.
“Ok, this is strange as hell,” posted Furlich. “Just now there is smoke coming from a place two blocks north of me!!! Just dispatched rescue there as well.”
Laurel is located about 100 miles northwest of Omaha. With only a volunteer firefighting force and a single full-time police officer, according to its website, it relies on nearby agencies for assistance.
Cedar County Sheriff Larry Koranda said Thursday that Laurel is known as a safe community. When asked if there was an ongoing threat to locals, he told Laurel residents to remain vigilant.
“I'm sure people knew each other, but everybody knows everybody in this small community,” Koranda said. “People need to be vigilant and if they see something out of the ordinary, please call us.”
