A 5-year-old girl and her 2-year-old brother who were discovered dead, along with their mother, early Tuesday morning in a Fort Smith, Ark., apartment were reportedly from Muldrow and were visiting their mother for Christmas when they were believed to have been murdered Friday.

Fort Smith Police Sgt. Jarrard Copeland reported in a Tuesday news release that the investigation began at 12:38 a.m. Tuesday when Fort Smith police received a call from a man on vacation in Colorado requesting police check on the welfare of his 30-year-old son, James Aaron Miller. Miller's father said that he had received a text message from his son, and he was worried that he may try to harm himself, Copeland said.

Miller's father also said that he did not know if his son's girlfriend, 28-year-old Bridgette Barr, was there or not, but that the couple lived in the apartment together.

Copeland said officers responded to the scene and were met by Miller at the door when Miller allegedly told police that he was "ready to go." The officers escorted him to the ambulance and then returned to the apartment to conduct a protective sweep.

The bodies of Bridgette Barr and 5-year-old Sydney Barr were located in the floor of a rear bedroom of the apartment, covered by a blanket.

At that time, Miller was advised of his Miranda rights, arrested and transported to the Sebastian County Adult Detention Center in Fort Smith, Copeland said.

Upon further investigation of the crime scene, the body of 2-year-old Garrett Barr was located in the bathtub of a bathroom adjoining the same bedroom where the other two bodies were previously located, Copeland reported. Police said it appeared as though the victims had been dead for four to six days.

Copeland said the woman and her two children may have been killed Friday, based on a police interview with a witness who said Barr and Miller were together on Thursday, and based on the decomposition of the bodies.

All three bodies have been sent to the Arkansas State Crime Lab for autopsies.

"We don't know what the manner of death was," Copeland said, noting they would not know the cause until the medical examiner makes a determination.

The police investigation revealed that Miller and Bridgette Barr had been dating for about two years. According to the children's father, Ray Barr, hehad custody of both children and they were living in Muldrow. He told investigators that the children were visiting their mother for Christmas.

"There's no motive yet," Copeland said.

Copeland said there was an indication that attempts had been made to clean up the crime scene. He said a bottle of window cleaner was found sitting next to a wall, and it looked as though walls in different areas of the home had also been cleaned. There were also several spots on the carpet that looked like they had been bleached.

Miller was arrested and booked into the Sebastian County Jail on suspicion of three counts of capital murder.

Copeland said Miller does have a criminal background.

In June of this year, police were dispatched to Bridgette Barr's apartment in reference to a domestic dispute. Bridgett Barr told police that Miller had been text messaging her all day and she had been ignoring him. She said he showed up at her apartment that night and began banging on the door. She said that she repeatedly told him to leave, but then her daughter opened the door. Barr allegedly told Miller to get his stuff and leave, but Miller became angry when he could not find his checkbook. She told police that Miller grabbed her by the throat and threw her on the couch. He then allegedly held her down by her throat and hit her in the face, Barr told police.

According to the police report, Barr told police that she began hitting him and was able to get him off of her. He allegedly left prior to police arrival. The officer reported that while he was speaking to Barr, Miller sent her several text messages and also called several times. The officer reported that he saw no visible injuries on Barr.

Several days later, Barr told police that she did not want to pursue any charges. She said that she told the officer that she did not want to file a report. She told police that the incident was mutual and a "one time" thing. She said that Miller had visible injuries and she didn't.

During a 1998 incident, Miller was accused of third-degree domestic battery and aggravated assault of a family member. The victim was Miller's estranged wife.

Ray Barr, the children's father, could not be reached for comment.