At least four people involved in a California triple murder are members of the local “furry” community, meaning they attend group events dressed in elaborate animal costumes. Police found the bodies of Jennifer Yost, 39, her 34-year-old husband Christopher Yost and their friend Arthur Boucher, 28, at the Yosts’ home in Fullerton near Anaheim last weekend.

Frank Felix, 25, and 21-year-old Joshua Acosta have been charged with the murders. The Yosts and the two suspects were all believed to be keen “furries”, as is Katlynn Goodwill Yost, Jennifer Yost’s 17-year-old daughter from an earlier relationship. Friend and fellow furry Melinda Giles told the Associated Press that Jennifer Yost told her she had forbidden Felix from seeing Katlynn, “to protect her daughter”.

Police were called to the home on Saturday morning by the Yosts’ six-year-old daughter, who was found unharmed with her nine-year-old sister. The victims had all been shot to death. Katlynn Yost was reported missing, but after Felix and Acosta were arrested on Sunday, police also announced she had been located safely – and that a 17-year-old girl was in custody. Police declined to name the arrested teenager because she was still a juvenile.

Furries reportedly enjoy creating and cultivating animal characters, meeting locally and at major conventions such as the annual Anthrocon in Pittsburgh. Katlynn Yost’s anthropomorphic alter ego, according to her social media postings, was a wolf-like creature.

Jennifer Yost was a mother figure to many members of the local furry group SoCal furs, 23-year-old Christopher Parque-Johnson told the OC Register. Many furries do not wear the costly full-body costumes, but instead wear badges displaying to their imaginary animal characters.

While the furry community is movement is widely seen as having a sexual dimension, Parque-Johnson said that was a misconception, adding: “We feel that behavior would be very inappropriate in our group. We think that is very weird.”