The Associated Press

LOCUST GROVE, Ga.- A man and his three children were found dead after a standoff in an apparent murder-suicide, police said.

A woman called police from a neighbor's house Sunday and said her husband had beaten her with a gun and that he was in their house with their three children, a 4-year-old girl and boys ages 8 and 12.

She also said he had threatened to kill himself and his family, authorities said.

When police arrived, the man went back into the house and barricaded himself in, Henry County Police Sgt. Palmerin Thomas said.

Police spent about four hours trying to get the man to surrender but were not successful. SWAT members were called to the scene and used a robot to knock down the door and go inside.

Police, who had not released the identity of the victims Sunday, said they had been called to the home in the past because of domestic disputes.