Steve Hutcheson

Jefferson County sheriff's deputies worked throughout the night trying to find out who fatally shot a mother and her two children inside their McCalla home sometime between Friday and Sunday.

Deputies were called to the home at 5928 Coleman Lake Road just before 7 p.m. Sgt. Jack Self said a relative called them after going to check on a couple who family hadn't heard from all weekend.

That relative met another relative at the home and got inside the home through a window. Once inside, they found an adult female and two children shot to death.

"We have had a violent series of events over the weekend,'' said Jefferson County sheriff's Lt. David Agee. "We have a lot of men and women working very hard to find some answers."

The victims have been identified as Doris Jean Hutcheson, 49, Kimberly Hutcheson, 14, and Peyton Hutcheson, 12. Doris Jean Hutcheson is the sister of a Birmingham police officer.

Doris Hutcheson and Kimberly Hutcheson were found dead in their beds. Peyton was found dead on the living room couch. All had been shot once, authorities said.

The husband, 47-year-old Steve "Hut" Hutcheson was not at the home, and has not yet been located, despite a massive search for him and multiple calls to his cell phone by family members. Hutcheson is the roofing foreman for the Shelby County Schools maintenance department and has worked for the system for 15 years, according to schools spokeswoman Cindy Warner.

The family's silver Dodge Stratus is also missing. The license plate for that vehicle is 1AS7156.

Investigators are asking for the public's help in locating Steve Hutcheson. "We have a lot of concern for the husband, his safety, where he is and what he could possibly tell us,'' Agee said. "We need to find him. He's a missing piece."

Authorities have not called Hutcheson a suspect or person of interest. "At this point, he is the husband and father of the victims,'' Agee said.

Deputies said the family's Dodge Stratus, similar to this one, is missing.

They had this to say on Sunday night: "We have no reason to believe there is any immediate danger to the community," Self stated on social media Sunday night.

"Please pray for the family and the first responders working this crime scene," Assistant Sheriff Mike Logan added. "We have no indication there is a suspect loose in the community. If anything is developed we will share that immediately."

Shelby Barnhill, a niece of the couple, said the family had not been seen or heard from since they were all swimming together Friday at their grandmother's home. Steve and Doris Hutcheson were supposed to take groceries to Steve Hutcheson's father Friday night but never showed up.

When no one heard from them the entire weekend, family members went to check on them. Barnhill said one cousin went into the home through a window. She entered through the basement, but never got inside the main living area.

Investigators, she said, made them leave when they found a bullet. All three bodies were in separate rooms of the house. "The house is destroyed,'' Barnhill said, ''But they didn't take anything."

Neighbor Jimbo Reynolds say his family was out of town for the past week and didn't notice anything amiss when they returned in Friday.

One of the couples' family members knocked on Reynold's door Sunday evening to tell them what happened after a family member had climbed through the window of the home and discovered the bodies inside.

At first relatives thought the bodies were those of the husband and wife, and were frantically looking for the children, but then realized it was the wife and two children. "We are shell shocked," Reynolds said.

Reynolds said they moved here eight years ago and the Hutchesons were already here."They kept to themselves and didn't bother anybody," Reynolds said.

As of this morning, deputies said they were actively searching for Steve Hutcheson but had not yet located him. Family members didn't have any luck either.

"When we call his phone, it goes straight to voicemail,'' Barnhill said.

Barnhill said her cousin Kimberly loved to sing. Peyton, she said, loved to build things with his father. Her aunt - Doris Jean Hutcheson - would do anything for anybody.

"They were sweet. I don't understand who could have done it and why," she said. "I don't think it was my uncle. We're just puzzled. We don't know where my uncle is or who would have him."

"Whoever did it better hope the cops find them before the family does,'' she said.

Investigators were on the scene overnight and remained there this morning. "Anytime there's more than one homicide, it's considered a major crime scene,'' Agee said. "Our evidence technicians are meticulous in their work. They're going to check absolutely everything. If there's evidence, they will find it."

Among those at the scene Monday morning was Bill Veitch, chief deputy district attorney in the Bessemer Cutoff. "I felt like I needed to go,'' Veitch said. "It's just heartbreaking. It's a tragedy. It is horrible."

Veitch confirmed this afternoon that his office granted the sheriff's office search warrants for the three vehicles parked in the family's driveway, and any electronics they may find in the home.

Finding Steve Hutcheson is key. "When we find him,'' he said, "hopefully we'll get a lot of our questions answered."

Anyone with information is asked to call the sheriff's office at 205-325-1450, or Crime Stoppers at 205-254-7777.