Police describe the startling deaths of four family members as a "murder-suicide" after the Parente family was discovered dead in a hotel outside Baltimore, MD.

Hotel staffers at the Sheraton in Towson, MD, found the bodies of William Parente, 59; wife Betty, 58; daughters Stephanie, 19; and Catherine, 11, Sunday afternoon after the family failed to check out.

Friends and neighbors are startled by the news, and only had kind words to say about the family members.

Nineteen-year-old daughter, Stephanie, was a student at Loyola College in Baltimore and her family was apparently in town visiting her for the weekend. Students gathered Tuesday at a campus chapel to mourn the loss of a young woman classmates described as a dear friend and active student. A former dorm-mate of Parente described her as energetic and fun.

Neighbors of the Parentes described a similar picture of the whole family to New York’s Newsday.

"I can’t imagine a more wonderful, loving, spiritual, funny family," said Robert Krener, who lived next door to the family and sold them their Garden City home 12 years ago.

Youngest daughter Catherine’s basketball coach, Michael Rix, also shared kind words with Newsday about the family and parents. Rix, whose daughter starred in the school play with Catherine said:

Regardless of whatever transpired over the weekend, they were a great family to be associated with in town. They were big supporters of their children. They were at every game rooting, good or bad, and always had nice words to say about the opponents, the coaches, everyone.

Reports describe William Parente as a Manhattan tax lawyer, and Betty as a housewife involved in the PTA.

Investigators have provided few details as to the cause of the death. Evidence of a murder weapon was found, but we don’t yet know whether a suicide note was left, the cause of death or who killed whom. 

"The direction of this investigation is that it was a murder-suicide," said Baltimore County Police Cpl. Michael Hill. "We just don’t have a motive at this point."

Autopsy results are expected today and will hopefully provide more explanations.