Family of Six Found Dead in Texas

L U F K I N, Texas, Jan. 25, 2001 -- A man shot his wife and their four childrento death in their mobile home, then committed suicide, police said today.

Sheriff Kent Henson said the shootings may have been prompted bymarital problems.

Henson said Lucio Franco, 24, killed his wife, 21-year-old MariaFranco, and their children with a shotgun, then shot himself in thehead.

The children ranged in age from 10 months to 5 years.

The shootings occurred Tuesday morning, but the bodies were notdiscovered until Wednesday night, when a neighbor called policeafter not seeing the family, the sheriff said. The bodies of themother and children were found on a bed.

Relatives told authorities that Lucio Franco was prone toviolence.

"They told me, 'If she's dead, he did it,'" said sheriff'sinvestigator Tony Galloway. "I asked them if there was anypossibility it could be someone other than the husband. They said,'No, he'd been beating on her, and that this had been happening fora long time.'"

Lufkin is 115 miles northeast of Houston