2 arrested for 6 deaths in rural Washington

BEIJING, Dec. 27 (Xinhuanet) -- A man and a woman who are in their late 20s have been arrested in connection with the deaths of six people on Wednesday in a rural community in the northwestern U.S. state of Washington, according to media reports Thursday.

  They were being taken to the King County Sheriff's Office Wednesday evening.

The pair have not confessed to the deaths and do not yet have access to lawyers, said Sgt. John Urquhart, adding, "This couple was among the people that showed up at the [crime] scene...And as we got to talking to them, we developed probable cause and made the arrests."

The suspects knew the victims, according to Urquhart, but a motive for the killings has not been determined.

The couple is expected to be charged with six counts of first-degree homicide, he said.

Early Wednesday, police in King County said they discovered the remains of six people at a sprawling secluded property near the town of Carnation, around 33.8 km east of Seattle.

Police said the murder most likely occurred late afternoon or early evening on Christmas Eve.

The victims are more likely family members, including a boy about age 3, a girl about age 6, a man and woman in their 30s, and a man and woman in their 50s.

But their names were not released.

Local media reports said the alarm was raised after a friend of the family living at the property visited early Wednesday.

(Agencies)