Detroit authorities have arrested a 27-year-old man in connection with the deaths of three elderly men whose bodies were discovered Wednesday afternoon in the basement of a home on Edsel Street.

Police were initially called around 1 p.m. on a missing-person report, after a man approached officers claiming he had been assaulted at a nearby residence. Upon entering the Edsel Street home, officers found the remains of three men. First Assistant Chief Charles Fitzgerald described the scene as “horrific,” noting that all three appeared to have suffered blunt-force trauma, with two victims also sustaining stab wounds. The bodies were partially covered in old clothing, with one victim wrapped in a carpet.

The victims have been identified as 66-year-old Norman Hamlin, a Marine veteran who served in the Persian Gulf War; 65-year-old Mark Barnett; and 72-year-old William Barrett. Neighbors said the home had a reputation as a drug house, though police have not confirmed the presence of drugs at the scene.

The arrested suspect reportedly had prior connections to the victims and a criminal history that includes carjacking, armed robbery, felony firearm charges, and fleeing from law enforcement. He was taken into custody on Thursday afternoon near W. Vernor and Michigan Avenue. Police have not yet released his name.

A neighbor described Hamlin as a man who struggled with drug use but kept his home a safe gathering place. “You don’t know who’s coming into your house,” Joel Bond told WDIV-TV, referencing the dangers associated with the location.

Police also said the man who initially approached them had been struck in the head twice with a hammer, though that attack appears unrelated to the triple homicide. Authorities continue to investigate the circumstances and motive behind the killings.