Mom, 2 young children found dead in home may have been murdered, police say

iStock(NEW YORK) -- A mother and her two young children have been found dead inside their New York City home just hours after the children's father was picked up by authorities while wandering along a highway, according to the NYPD.

Emergency dispatchers received a 911 call detailing an assault in progress at a Staten Island home about 10:30 a.m. Saturday, NYPD Assistant Chief Kenneth Corey said in a statement. When officers arrived, the home was filled with smoke, and the bodies of the 36-year-old mother and her children, ages 3 and 2, were discovered by firefighters after they extinguished the small fire, Corey said.

The mother's body was lying on a bed facedown, ABC New York station WABC-TV reported.

Authorities had picked up a 36-year-old man believed to be the children's father at 7:48 a.m. while he was walking along the Brooklyn-Queens Expressway, and transported him to the hospital for evaluation, Corey said.

He underwent a psychological evaluation at the hospital, according to WABC-TV.

The mother, whose name has not been released by authorities, was an active-duty member of the U.S. Air Force, WABC-TV reported. The 911 call was placed by one of her coworkers, according to the station.

The father, whose identity has not been made public, was also a member of the military, neighbor Rod Hamed, told WABC-TV. He describing him as a "nice guy," the station reported.

The case is being treated as a homicide, Corey said. The medical examiner will determine the cause of death.

Police did not identify the children, either.

The father has not been charged but is being considered a person of interest, according to WABC-TV.

Police had been called to the home once before for a domestic dispute, the station reported.

Additional details were not immediately available.

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