MECHANIC FALLS — A mother and her two young daughters have reportedly been found dead at their apartment on Highland Avenue in Mechanic Falls.

At about 4 p.m. Saturday, the Mechanic Falls Police Department requested the assistance of the Maine State Police Major Crimes Unit South after the discovery of three dead people at a residence at 5 Highland Ave., according to Shannon Moss, spokesperson for the Maine Department of Public Safety.

Detectives and evidence response technicians responded and spent the evening and overnight hours processing the scene.

The three bodies were taken to the Office of Chief Medical Examiner in Augusta, where autopsies are to be performed to determine the cause and manner of death and positively identify the three bodies.

There is no danger to the public, Moss said.

No additional information will be released until after the autopsies have been completed, Moss said.

According to neighbors, the three lived in a second-story apartment in the front of a multiunit building at the corner of Elm Street and Highland Avenue, where “Road Closed” signs were still in place Sunday morning.

Neighbors said Sunday they were reeling from the news.

According to a neighbor who lives across the street, his daughter had been going to summer school with the two girls, who he thought were about 8 and 11 years old, but had not seen them at school for weeks, possibly close to a month.

Police said they discovered the three bodies while conducting a welfare check on the family.

Other neighbors said they also had not seen the girls for quite a while, which they found odd because the family had lived there for years and the sisters were often bouncing on the trampoline in the front yard.

“It’s so sad,” said a neighbor who did not know the family, but often saw the girls outside.

A mother and her two young daughters were found dead Saturday at their apartment at 5 Highland Ave. in Mechanic Falls. Neighbors say the girls would often play on the trampoline in front of the house. Judith Meyer/Sun Journal

Ron McCala, who lives on Elm Street, next door to the family, said he can see the trampoline from his front porch and regularly saw the girls playing, but did not remember having seen them over the past few weeks. He said the family also had a dog, possibly two, which he also had not seen recently.

“It’s so sad,” he said. “So sad.”

An across-the-street neighbor said he became concerned about the family a couple of weeks ago when he wondered why a rented U-Haul pickup truck had been parked in the driveway for weeks. The mother had been driving a Honda Civic, which he regularly saw in the driveway, but when it was replaced by the U-Haul, he wondered why such an expensive rental was parked there for so long.

He was concerned enough that he mentioned it to some of his neighbors, but never inquired about it next door.

“The mother kept to herself,” he said, and “we kept our distance, which we absolutely now regret.”

He and his family, who had been at Range Pond State Park earlier in the day and did not see police arrive, watched as three body bags were removed in the afternoon, and he watched as police towed away the U-Haul pickup truck at about 9 p.m. Saturday.

He said the other police officers left about an hour later, and he noticed while watching the scene how stricken the officers seemed.

Asked what the mother did for employment, the neighbor said he once saw her driving a Dunkin’ delivery for DoorDash, and he said he thought she liked that work because she could take her daughters in the car with her.

He also mentioned the family’s dogs, one of which he believed was a Doberman pinscher and the other a small, white dog. He said he has not seen the animals in weeks, raising concern about their welfare.

Another neighbor, who was outside tending his tomato plants Sunday morning, said he had regularly seen the family, but did not know the mother or her daughters.

He said he learned that something serious was happening on the street when his children told him police, including the Maine State Police Crime Lab, were parked at the apartment building Saturday afternoon. Echoing his neighbors, he said the situation was “so sad.”

Two people who live at the same apartment building as the mother and daughters, which is a multiunit building owned by a company in Alfred, were sitting on their porch Sunday morning, but declined to talk about the family.

“Not yet,” the man said, clearly distraught.

Just before 9 a.m. Sunday, a worker from the Mechanic Falls Public Works Department removed the “Road Closed” signs, while the police tape remained on the stairs leading to the family’s apartment.

Amy Hediger, the superintendent for the Poland-based Regional School Union 16, released a statement Sunday afternoon saying Elm Street School in Mechanic Falls was establishing a crisis team to help students and staff members.

“Our community is facing an unimaginable loss with the believed passing of two students from Elm Street School,” Hediger wrote in the statement. “As we navigate through this difficult time, it’s important to acknowledge that everyone will respond differently.

“Emotions like shock, sadness, fear, and anger will come and go over the coming days, weeks, and months. Some may seek solitude, while others might find comfort in talking with friends or trusted adults. The pace at which we each feel ready to return to our routines will vary.

“Our Elm Street School crisis team came together last night to start planning how best to support our staff and students through this difficult time. We are committed to providing the help and resources needed, and we will share more information as soon as it becomes available.”

Hediger’s message included a list of resources for parents and caregivers:

• The Center for Grieving Children offers guidance, groups and education in age-appropriate ways: www.cgcmaine.org.

• The National Alliance of Mental Health (NAMI): www.nami.org/support-education.

• If you or someone you know is in crisis, call the Maine Crisis Line: 1-888-568-1112. If you feel there is an immediate risk of harm, call 911.