Murder Update from New Town - KXNet - Bismarck/Minot/Williston/Dickinson

Authorities nave now released the identities of those killed yesterday in New Town:   64-year-old Martha Johnson, 13-year-old Benjamin Schuster, 10-year-old Julia Schuster and 6-year-old Luke Schuster.

A woman and three of her grandchildren were shot and killed in New Town yesterday afternoon, and the death of a man in Parshall later Sunday may have been related to their murders.

That's what law enforcement officials say the murders in these two Mountrail Communities may have been related.

The New Town police chief says the murders happened here - on 6th Street in New Town about mid-afternoon Sunday.

He says a vehicle was seen nearby and a statewide search turned up the vehicle and its driver, but it turned out to be unrelated to the case.

Meanwhile, investigators figured out the suspect in the killings was a member of the Three Affiliated Tribes, so the investigation was turned over the FBI.

FBI officials won't say if the death reported last night in Parshall - about 15 miles away from New Town - was related to the murders.

But our sources say it appears to have been the suspect - and for that reason there is no concern about the safety of the general public.

Meanwhile, the superintendent of the New Town School called off school today - since the three children killed all attended New Town elementary and middle school.

Marc Bluestone, New Town Superintendent says, "I felt based on all the information and what was in the best interests of our students and our staff and the community with this tragedy that we not have school today. Now we're planning for tomorrow with grief counselors and local clergy to be at the school. Now we're planning on having school but once again we have no official information at this time and it doesn't seem like we're getting any anytime soon so I'm meeting with administrators on whether we're going to have school tomorrow as well."

Bluestone says a decision on school tomorrow will be made by this evening.

Meanwhile, the identities of the four family members and one other person dead in the case have not been released by the FBI.