Police in East St. Louis have identified the husband and wife found dead in what’s called a murder-suicide.

They were 28-year-old Bennie Thomas and 25-year-old Antoinette Blanton-Thomas who lived in the 6-hundred block of North 23rd in East St. Louis.

Their children, ages one and 3, were found alone in the home with the bodies of their parents.

Police say the children appear to be uninjured but have been hospitalized.

Police say it appears Bennie Thomas first shot his wife and then used the handgun to take his own life.

- Bob Hamilton, KMOX News