Sentry Foods workers saddened by loss of longtime cashier in murder-suicide on Milwaukee's south side

MILWAUKEE (CBS 58) -- Milwaukee police say four people are dead in an apparent murder-suicide on the city's southwest side Wednesday, Dec. 8.

The gruesome discovery was made in a duplex near 49th and Euclid just before noon. 

One of the victims was a longtime cashier at Sentry Foods, where tears were flowing Wednesday night. 

She was known as the mom of the bunch, great at giving out advice, and she is greatly missed.

Wednesday morning, family learned the woman who lived near 49th and Euclid hadn't shown up for work.

"And works two jobs actually, and the employers called her brother to ask if they had seen her, is she okay? So they came over to the house to check on her and couldn't get in, and so then her brother called the police to do a welfare check to make sure that she was okay," said Emily Stokes, neighbor.

Police got inside and found a devastating sight. Three adults and a child, all dead of gunshot wounds. 

The man suspected of pulling the trigger was dating the woman who neighbors describe as a hard worker and friendly.

"And she's like getting in the car ready to go to work, and she was really polite and just say good morning, hi," said neighbor Yesenia Duran.

Neighbors were especially sad to learn the boy in the duplex was killed. They say he lived there with his dad, was a cute kid and wore glasses.

"And particularly as we move into a holiday season, it's just heart-wrenching," said Derrick Rogers of 414Life.

"It's surreal, you know. It's a very quiet neighborhood, great people and I've lived here for 34 years, never seen anything even remotely like this," said Charlie Radtke, neighbor.

Forty-ninth Street was shut down all afternoon to traffic.

"Yeah, it caught me off guard. I was on my way home, planning on a ride down the street, and see everything is blocked off," said neighbor Devon Buie.

Police have since reopened 49th St. as the investigation continues.