German police announced on Sunday that a 47-year-old man who was found lying drunk next to the bodies of his wife and two children, murdered with a butcher’s knife and an axe. They are waiting for him to sober up in order to question him.

The Saarlouis city police, near the French border, also stated they do not expect the suspect to be available for a statement before the afternoon.

A friend of the family called the police on Saturday night, after finding the bloodshed in the apartment. The man was lying drunk on the floor next the murdered woman (40), daughter (20) and son (6), who were killed with a butcher knife and an axe. A 3-year-old son, the third child of the family, survived the massacre unharmed.

The family has a ling history of disturbed relations, arguments and violence, the police announced.