Authorities recently found the decomposing bodies of two
UCSD graduates and their family inside their upscale San
Clemente home, and officials have discovered during
their ongoing investigation that all five family members were suspiciously
dressed in black clothing.

Revelle College
alumni and twins Margo and Grace Ucar, 21, were found lying in a bed in the
first-floor bedroom on May 24, and their grandmother, Fransuhi Kesisoglu, 72,
was sitting in a chaise lounge in the room. According to police, two guns were
discovered near the bodies of the twins’ parents, Manas Ucar, 58, and Margrit
Ucar, 48, both of whom appeared to have gunshot wounds.

One of the guns was registered to Margrit Ucar and
investigators are still looking for records on the second gun, Lt. Erin
Giudice, spokeswoman for the Orange County Sheriff’s Department, said in a
statement. She added that the
Turkish-American family may have been dead for two to three weeks.

Prompted by phone calls from worried neighbors and
relatives, deputies had visited the Ucar residence twice in the past two weeks
but, after looking into windows and trying to open doors, found nothing
suspicious.

“Everything was closed up,” Giudice said. “The family and
the neighborhood thought they were on vacation.”

Relatives of the Ucar family shattered a window and forced
their way into the house only to discover the five bodies. Detectives wore scuba-like breathing
apparatuses while investigating the scene to fight the stench.

Officials are awaiting toxicology test results in about six
weeks before they conclusively determine a cause of death.

Giudice said no suspects are being sought at this time, but
neither homicide nor suicide have been ruled out. She declined to comment on whether there was
a note left behind.

“We are certainly looking into all aspects and all
possibilities,” Giudice said. “We want to be really careful when we talk about
murder-suicide.”

Margo and Grace had completed their studies in March and
were set to officially graduate this month with bachelor’s degrees in human
biology. In addition, both were teaching
assistants last fall for associate professor of biological sciences George
Fortes.

“I feel devastated by this terrible tragedy,” Fortes said in
an e-mail. “Margo and Grace were top students in my courses. They did an
excellent job, were always interested and knowledgeable, always smiling and
open.”