PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti, Sept 21, 2009 (AFP) -
Haitian authorities on Tuesday were holding the father of five children who were found murdered along with their mother in their Florida home, authorities said.
Mesac Damas, 33, was arrested near the airport in Port-au-Prince after his 32-year-old wife and their children aged 11 months to nine years were found slain Saturday in North Naples, on the west coast of the US state, police said.
Damas, who was born in Haiti but has US citizenship, was questioned by Haitian police and by US embassy officials after being taken into custody, but was not officially declared a suspect in the murders.
A senior Haitian justice official said the government was awaiting a request from the United States before deciding whether to extradite him.
Collier County Sheriff Kevin Rambosk described it as "the most horrific and violent event this community has ever experienced."
Local police in Florida said earlier they believed the father had taken a flight to Haiti on Friday, and described him as a "person of interest" in the case.
Police said the child victims included three boys, age nine, six and five, a girl age three and a baby girl 11 months old.
The couple were said to have a history of marital problems and domestic violence.
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