SAN ANTONIO — Authorities are investigating the deaths of two relatives whose bodies were discovered with gunshot wounds after a fire broke out at their west-side apartment-style home overnight, San Antonio officials said.
The call came in around 12:21 a.m. on Waverly near North Zarzamora Street.
When crews arrived shortly after, they found the home engulfed in flames, preventing them from entering right away. Once they were able to make entry, they found a man and a woman dead.
The victims have been identified by family members as Raquel Martinez, 51, and her nephew Sergio Soto, 39.
Linda Delgado and her brother Martin Martinez Jr. have been dealing with a lot of loss. Now, their sister and nephew were found dead.
An official cause of death has yet to be determined for Martinez and Soto, according to SAPD Sgt. Washington Moscoso, adding that "many casings" were processed at the scene. He said that while there were no calls for shootings in the area Wednesday night, SAPD's homicide unit was at the scene—which Moscoso said was out of the norm.
"It is not typical for homicide to make it out to a structure fire even if there is bodies found inside there," he said. I wasn't there last night. So I don't know why they were called out. There was more to it last night," the sergeant said, without elaborating.
The family told KENS 5 after the scene was cleared they found blood and bullets.
"We had our doubt it was fire," they said. "Because there was two blood pedals. I know it didn't come from the fire. "We started to go through the stuff and everything and where my sister was laying down and all the blood was there, and a pillow and a bullet next to it," the family said. "We found another one, where my nephew was."
SAPD didn't say if they were looking for any suspects at the moment.
They family said Raquel, who also went by Rachel always worked.
"She was always at work and come home and go to bed," Delgado said. "My nephew is disabled. So I don't know. He was a lovely person. My sister I can't say nothing bad about her. She came from Mexico."
Meanwhile, arson investigators are looking into what caused the blaze.
SAFD spokesperson Joe Arrington said at the scene that the fire started in the back of the home. Fire crews received multiple calls early in the morning with one person even running to Fire Station 10, which is just down the street, to report the fire.
Crews said they did come across some challenges trying to put the fire out, as it was a tight space.
Arrington said there was no clutter, but wants to remind people to stay prepared. "It's important to remind everyone, obviously now, check to make sure you have working smoke detectors. Please visit Fire Safe SA for home safety tips, as well as to request a smoke detector."
You can find that information here.