The bodies of the Idukki family members were decomposed, positioned one over the other.

Highlights The bodies of the family members were found in a pit behind their house

The bodies were decomposed, positioned one over the other

Police probing all angles, including witchcraft

A family of four, thought to be missing in Kerala, was found dead on Wednesday, their bodies stacked up in a pit behind their house.

The bodies of Krishnan and Susheela, both in their 50s, their daughter Arsha, 21, and son Arjun, 19, were found after the police dug up a pit in the compound of their house in Idukki district. The police suspect witchcraft.

The bodies were decomposed, positioned one over the other.

The police had been called in by neighbours who said they had not seen the family for four days.

On Wednesday, neighbours and some relatives of the family went to the house and were alarmed to see bloodstains on the floor and walls, news agency Press Trust of India reported.

"The father had a rubber plantation but also appeared to have practiced witchcraft. We still have not been able to find the cause and means of death. We are probing all angles to the death, including witchcraft", police sources told NDTV.

A hammer and a knife were found in the house.

A postmortem report is not out, but sources say the wounds on the bodies indicate the family may have been beaten with a hammer. The family could have been killed after Sunday, the police said.

Neighbours have told the police that the family largely kept to themselves.

The bodies have been shifted to Kottayam medical college for the autopsy, police said.