Centennial – Arapahoe County deputy sheriffs making a welfare check discovered two bodies inside a Centennial home Monday afternoon and took the man they found there into custody, said Sheriff Grayson Robinson.
The deputies went to 6441 S. Eudora Way at about 3:30 p.m. after the daughter of the couple who live there called to say she couldn’t reach her family, Robinson said.
Upon arriving, deputies rang the doorbell and knocked on the front door, but no one answered. The deputies went around to the back and saw a man “run through the house in an effort to avoid the deputies,” Robinson said.
The deputies broke into the home, and the man barricaded himself inside a room before surrendering about 20 minutes later.
The bodies of two women were found in the living-room area, Robinson said. The victims had not been identified Monday night, he added.
There was some sign of trauma, Robinson said, but he wouldn’t elaborate.
Phillip Effland, 57, the owner of the house who also lives there, was taken to a hospital “suffering from some emotional issues,” Robinson said. “He is not responsive to us.”
Investigators were trying to determine a motive in the case, Robinson said.
Neighbors said the family lived a quiet existence and didn’t interact much with others on the block.
“They kept to themselves,” said one man who declined to give his name. “They were very quiet.”
“It’s all very disturbing when it’s in your neighborhood,” said Lori McCain, who lives next door with Jon Stull.
They said a couple lived in the house with one of their daughters, who was in her 20s.
McCain and Stull said they would see members of the family coming and going, but McCain added, “I rarely saw him.”
Stull said, “I looked out my window, and all of a sudden there were cop cars, which is not necessarily unusual.”
Police have been to the house several times, he said, but he didn’t know why.
James Peirce, who lives across the street, was surprised. He said he has lived there only two months.
“It’s been extremely quiet,” he said.
Robinson said deputies have been called to the house several times on “a variety of disturbance calls.” The calls mostly involved the daughter and other family members, and welfare checks, he said.
“We believe the individuals involved in this are either in custody or deceased,” he said. “We have a lot more work to do.”
Staff writer Jim Kirksey can be reached at 303-820-1448 or jkirksey@denverpost.com.
Staff writer Kieran Nicholson can be reached at 303-820-1822 or knicholson@denverpost.com.
