Three men discovered dead in Detroit basement as passerby alerts police

Police in Detroit are investigating after three men were discovered dead in the basement of a home, in what authorities described as a brutal assault.

Officers were already responding to a missing person’s case near Fort Street on Wednesday, February 18, when a man ran up to them claiming he had been attacked inside a house on Edsel Street. 

He also told police there were bodies inside, according to reports from WXYZ-TV and CBS News.

Police entered the property and found three adult men in the basement who appeared to have been violently assaulted, Detroit Police Commander Rebecca McKay said in a talk with WXYZ.

Authorities confirmed the men were dead at the scene. 

"We are currently working through all of the evidence, and this case is very preliminary at this point," McKay said.

The victims have not been publicly identified, but police said they appeared to be about 50 years old or older, according to The Detroit News.

Accoridng to sources cited by the outlets, the bodies were found wrapped in towels and carpeting, with blood at the scene. Police have not named any suspects and have not yet revealed a possible motive.

Investigators are also still trying to determine whether the deaths are connected to the missing person case officers were initially responding to.