Three children are found abandoned in an apartment with the remains of their brother, according to reports from authorities in Texas

(CNN) – Authorities made a horrible discovery in an apartment this Sunday: three children who, they say, were left with the decomposing body of another minor inside the place.

“I have never heard of a scenario like this. It took me by surprise, ”Harris County Sheriff Ed Gonzalez said at a news conference Sunday.

The sheriff’s office says the boys are 15, 10 and 7 years old and are siblings. In a press release, they say the 15-year-old called authorities and said his parents had not lived in the apartment for several months. He told them that the skeletal remains in the room next to theirs were those of his nine-year-old brother, who he said had died a year earlier.

“It seems they were there while the body was deteriorating,” González said.

In a press release, the sheriff’s office said the two younger brothers “appeared malnourished and showed signs of physical injury.” In addition, they indicated that the three children “were transferred to the hospital to be evaluated and treated for their injuries.”

The researchers initially did not know how the children could support themselves. “It seems like they were basically taking care of each other,” González said.

The sheriff’s office says the children’s mother and her boyfriend have been found and are being interviewed. The cause of the boy’s death is under investigation.