ATLANTA -- Authorities are now treating a house fire that left two people dead in southwest Atlanta early Tuesday morning as a homicide investigation.
According to Atlanta Fire, the fire happened at a residence on Harvel and H.E. Holmes Drives shortly after 4 a.m.
A married couple died in the house, officials said. One of them was found in the rear of the home, while the other was found in the front of the home.
The Fulton County Medical Examiner has since determined the 67-year-old man and 65-year-old woman actually died before the fire, ruling the cause of death as strangulation and "thermal injuries."
At this time, officials are not sure if the fire was intentionally set to cover up their murder; arson investigators are looking into that possibility and working to see if an accelerant was used to start the fire.
Officials said more than half of the home, and key evidence, was damaged, making it hard to figure out if there was forced entry into the home or if a suspect was let in.
Officials have not released the age or name of the victims at this time and the cause is still unknown, though the Atlanta Police Department is now taking the lead on the investigation.
PHOTOS | Deadly house fire in Atlanta leaves 2 dead
11Alive's Ryan Kruger spoke to neighbors of the couple, who were stunned by the turn in the case.
"It's astonishing that this is happening right next door," Harriet Brown said.
She said at first, she wasn't too concerned about the fire, because she thought the homeowners were out of town.
"I thought they had gone back to New York. I didn't think anybody was over there," she explained.
But when Brown found out how the couple died – strangled to death – it added a new layer of shock.
"This is an elderly couple, a quiet neighborhood, so it's very unusual that we had a fire, then come to find out that they were strangled and left in the location."
Meanwhile, police said they have no suspects, persons of interest or even a motive. Investigators are hoping witnesses will come forward to help them solve the case.
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