TROY – Police Chief James Tedesco called it an act of "savagery": two adult women and two children found murdered in their Second Avenue basement apartment the day after Christmas. On Wednesday, it was a crime shrouded in secrecy.

Tedesco assured the public that while officials aren’t releasing details on any suspects, the two women, ages 36 and 22, and two children, a 11-year-old boy and 5-year-old girl, appear to have been targeted. Officials want people to come forward if they have information.

“There are indications at the crime scene that this was not a random act,” Tedesco said at a news conference Wednesday afternoon. “We are certainly appealing to people in the community that would have any knowledge as to what may have transpired there to contact us as soon as possible.”

The chief did not release the names of the victims, as additional family members are still being contacted, nor did he comment on whether any weapons were found or if there had been a forced entry. He said there were no persons of interest in the case yet.

The women were in a relationship and one was the mother of the two children, he said.

The victims were found dead inside a basement apartment at 158 Second Ave., at about 12:50 p.m. Tuesday, but police have not disclosed how the victims were killed or when they were attacked. Numerous law enforcement sources not involved in the investigation said all four of the victims were bound, with their throats cut.

Autopsies conducted Wednesday afternoon were expected to provide clarity on a timeline of the attacks, officials said.

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Police said the building's property manager entered the apartment Tuesday afternoon after the victims' relatives told him the family was not answering phone calls and could not be reached. When the property manager discovered their bodies inside, he called the police.

Tedesco called the crime "the worst we've experienced."

"Only a person of savagery would do something like this," he said. “Nobody that’s been involved in this case is going to forget this.”

Second Avenue remained closed between 102nd and 103rd streets Wednesday as law enforcement continued processing the scene. State Police and parole officials are assisting in the investigation.

While officials don’t believe the quadruple homicide presents an imminent danger to area residents, police and local religious leaders urged people to remain vigilant.

“Until they catch whoever did this, there are certainly reasons to be fearful,” said Pastor Jackie Robinson Sr., of Oak Grove Baptist Church on Seventh Avenue in Troy. “We don’t know who did it. Until we find out, it certainly makes sense to be vigilant and keep your doors locked.”

The deaths happened in the city's Lansingburgh neighborhood, which runs along the Hudson River overlooking the housing developments that have risen in Cohoes.

Robinson said an older son was not home when the killings occurred, but wouldn’t reveal his name. Police said they don’t believe there were any other people living in the apartment other than the victims.

The recent homicide harkens to the 2014 quadruple homicide in Guilderland in which Jin Chen, 39, his wife, Hai Yan Li, 38, and their sons, Anthony, 10, and Eddy, 7, were killed with a knife and hammer in their Western Avenue home. Their murders remain unsolved.

Tedesco said he remains confident that the department will apprehend the suspect, or suspects, in the Troy homicide.

“I know there is not a resource that we won’t tap in the city, or wherever we need to get it,” he said. “This will be a full-court press, if you will, until we bring someone to justice.”

Albany's Victory Christian Church announced it would offer a $5,000 reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the perpetrators.

Capital Region Crime Stoppers is offering an additional reward of up to $1,500 cash. Submit anonymous tips by visiting capitalregioncrimestoppers.com or downloading the free P3 Tips app to your phone.

Robinson said he and other clergy of the Lansingburgh church have been speaking with family and friends of the victims as well as members of the public. They recently spoke with children at the Troy Boys and Girls Club because many knew the victims, and provided counseling to those impacted, he said.

“Kids are traumatized," he said. "A few had nightmares since this happened. A lot of grown folk are traumatized because this monster is still out there.”

Robinson said while it’s frustrating that there’s no clear motivation for the killings at this point, the public must support the police in their investigation.

Addressing the killer or killers, Robinson offered a simple message: “Come forward.”

“We’ll try as hard as we can to understand, even though there is no justification for it,” he said. “Give yourself up. How can you live with yourself doing something like this?”