Remains of 5 people found in burned Oregon home

SALEM, Ore. — Investigators have uncovered the remains of five people inside a house in western Oregon that was intentionally set ablaze, according to officials.

Detectives confirmed Thursday that the remains are of an adult male, one adult female and three children.

While the remains appear to be consistent with members of the family that live in the home, a medical examiner must make that confirmation. The home in Hubbard, Ore., belonged to Erin Kroeker, 39, and Keith Kroeker, 42, and their twin 10-year-old boys and 7-year-old daughter.

Investigators are still sifting through piles of debris to determine what took place early Tuesday morning.

"We are peeling this back layer by layer and as we get further and further into the home we're finding out more and more," said Lt. Chris Baldridge of the Marion County Sheriff's Office. "We just are not ready to comment yet on what we found."

Baldridge said he could not comment specifically on where the bodies were found in the residence.

Investigators said Wednesday they believe fires that burned the house, a shop and attached garage were intentionally set and are treating the case as a criminal investigation, according to a statement released by the Marion County Sheriff's Office.

Roughly 40 investigators from various agencies have worked to stabilize the three structures over the past two days, Baldridge said.

The investigation continues to be hampered by the size of the scene, freezing temperatures and the amount of destruction caused by the fire, according to a statement released by the Sheriff's Office.

The property is near the town of Hubbard amid hop farms in the Willamette Valley off Interstate 5, between Portland and Salem.

Neighbor Michelle Palacios said the Kroeker family has been there for years, their children attending local schools, the Woodburn Independent newspaper reported.

“We’ve always been neighborly … we’ve gone to each other’s jewelry parties, we’ve exchanged Christmas cookies,” Palacios was quoted as saying. “This is just bizarre.”

Contributing: The Associated Press