10 bodies found buried in the home of a former El Salvador policeman

Authorities found the bodies of seven women and three children buried in the home of a former police officer in El Salvador.

El Salvador's public prosecutor’s office said on Friday that the man was being investigated on suspicion of sex crimes and 13 murders.

The 51-year-old was arrested last Saturday on suspicion of having committed the murders of two women - because of their gender.

The man’s neighbors in the western city of Chalchuapa called the police and reported that they heard a woman crying for help.

The police found the bodies of a 57-year-old woman and her 26-year-old daughter in a pool of blood, bearing signs of sexual abuse.

Among the bodies that were also found were a 7-year-old girl and two boys, aged between 2 and 9 years.

The police did not explain why the number of murders being investigated had risen to 13.

The prosecutor’s office said on Twitter that some people appeared to have been killed nearly two years ago.

He explained that an investigation is still underway in seven other possible graves in the man’s house.

At least 25 people are considered missing in the area.

Investigators said the suspect was fired from his job as a policeman in 2005 for his aggressive sexual behavior and spent five years in prison.