Report: D.C. family was held before being killed, house torched

WASHINGTON — As the investigation continues into the killing of a D.C. couple, their 10-year-old son and a housekeeper whose bodies were found after a house fire last week, investigators believe that there was more than one killer, that the killers knew the family’s routine and had them confined in the house for more than a day, NBC Washington reports.

Savvas Savopoulos, 46; his wife, Amy Savopoulos, 47; their son, Philip; and housekeeper Veralicia Figueroa, 57, were found dead Thursday in the house on Woodland Road in Northwest. NBC Washington reports that investigators found no sign of forced entry at the house, indicating that the killer or killers knew who they were and their routine.

They also say that the killers entered the house on Wednesday, keeping the family bound through Thursday afternoon.

The fire has been ruled arson. Another housekeeper who worked at the Savopoulos house said on Thursday that she was supposed to work that day but had gotten a text from someone in the house telling her not to come.

Meanwhile, police are still trying to find out who torched a blue Porsche 911 that was stolen from the Savopoulos house on the day of the fire, and why. It was found torched in the parking lot of St. Christopher’s Episcopal Church, in Lanham, Maryland, on Thursday.

On Tuesday morning, D.C. Police Chief Cathy Lanier told News Channel 8 that police have received a number of tips — “We’ve gotten a lot of good information; I feel really good about the leads that we are working” — but that it would be premature to comment on possible suspects or a motive.

Investigators will be at the crime scene all week looking for clues. “We’re probably going to spend seven to 10 days recovering evidence from the home,” Lanier said.

Savvas Savopoulos was the president of American Iron Works, a building materials manufacturer based in Hyattsville, Maryland. The family’s home is valued at $4.5 million, The Associated Press says.

See reports from NBC Washington:

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