A Washington state man and his girlfriend apparently lived with the bodies of his parents for months before they killed themselves.

The gruesome discoveries were made on New Year’s Eve after three previous welfare checks to the home turned up nothing amiss, so Pierce County deputies didn’t enter.

On the fourth trip, deputies accompanied two other sons of William and Elaine Vosler as they removed an air conditioner and entered the home, finding the bodies of their brother, 33-year-old Shane Vosler, and his 34-year-old girlfriend, Sue Bin Lee.

After obtaining a search warrant, deputies found the bodies of William Vosler, 68, and Elaine Vosler, 66, in a leaking freezer in the garage.

As CrimeOnline reported, two notes attached to the freezer read “Time of Death July 24, 5:45 a.m.” and “Time of death July 24, 3 p.m.”

Deputies made their first visit to the home on December 23 after a neighbor saw a truck repossessed from the driveway and realized they hadn’t seen William Vosler since mid-summer. Subsequent visits to the home came after an online friend of Shane Vosler reported Lee had made statements on social media about committing suicide with her boyfriend.

Deputies did not enter the home during any of those visits. The online friend, who lives in Florida, helped deputies reach the couple’s other sons, who made entry into the house on December 31.

According to KOMO, autopsies found that both the elder Voslers had been stabbed, with William Vosler also suffering significant head trauma. Shane Vosler and Lee died from gunshot wounds to the head. Shane Vosler’s death was ruled a suicide, but the medical examiner had not determined if Lee killed herself or was shot by her boyfriend.