RAMSEY COUNTY, MN. (THECOUNT) — A woman in her 30s, a girl in her early teens and a young boy, were killed Saturday in a Ramsey County, Minnesota apartment, after police conducted a Saturday night welfare check at the home just an hour earlier.

The officer who spoke with the woman during the welfare check said she looked him in the eye and said, “I’m OK; tell them I’m OK.” Family members had requested the check on the St. Paul family.

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The woman and the teen girl were later found shot dead and a boy, 8 to 12 years old, died of gunshot wounds at an area hospital.

The horror incident occurred at an apartment located in the area of the 700 block of Jessie Street in St Paul.

St. Paul police say they are searching for one or more suspects.

An hour before the shooting, a police officer had been called to the apartment on a welfare check and was assured by the woman who answered the door that she was all right, police said. He then left, reports StarTribune.

Police believe that the woman who answered the door was among those killed.

The trio were killed just blocks from the scene of a double homicide that occurred on Jan. 21.

Officers were called to the apartment just after 3 p.m. to assist paramedics with an unknown medical situation. When police arrived, they were met out front by the 911 caller, who said people were injured inside, said Sgt. Mike Ernster, the department’s public information officer.

Officers found a “hellish scene” inside the apartment.

Ernster said the officer had been called to the home by a family member who wanted a welfare check done on a female in the residence. “They wanted to make sure she was OK,” Ernster said.

The officer asked her if she wanted to call the family herself, and she declined.

Ernster said that the woman who spoke to the officer is believed to be the deceased woman in her 30s found an hour later in the apartment.

The Ramsey County medical examiner will positively identify the victims and determine an exact cause of death.

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Geo quick facts: Ramsey County is a county located in the U.S. state of Minnesota. As of the 2010 census, the population was 508,640, making it the second-most populous county in Minnesota. Its county seat and largest city is St. Paul, the state capital – Wikipedia.