Man and woman slain on California street, 3 young children found unharmed in nearby vehicle

San Diego police officers found a man and woman lying dead in a street early Monday morning and found three young children, all under the age of 2, unharmed in a nearby vehicle in the Grant Hill neighborhood, a homicide lieutenant said.

The man and woman were both victims of homicide, according to San Diego police Lt. Lou Maggi, who added that it was too early to definitively say how they might be related to or connected with the children.

An anonymous caller first alerted San Diego police to the double homicide a little before 12:30 a.m., telling a dispatcher that two people were lying in the roadway on 27th Street near Imperial Avenue and that one of them appeared bloody, Maggi said in a statement.

Officers responded to the area and confirmed that both victims had been slain, Maggi said. Their names were not released, but police described them as both being in their late 20s or early 30s.

The officers found the three young children “seemingly unharmed” inside a vehicle parked near the victims, Maggi said. The children were placed into protective custody.

Police released no details about how the victims may have died. Investigators asked any potential witnesses or anyone with information about the slayings to call the San Diego police homicide unit at 619-531-2293 or Crime Stoppers’ anonymous tip line at 888-580-8477.