Vigil held last evening for three murdered girls in River Falls

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RIVER FALLS -- A vigil was held last night for three girls found dead in their River Falls, Wisconsin home on Tuesday.

Homicide charges are expected to be filed this afternoon against the father, 34-year-old Aaron Schaffhausen. Five-year-old Cecilia, eight-year-old Sophie and 11-year-old Amara Schaffhausen died in their mother's home. Police say the fireplace was turned on and there appeared to be a flammable liquid in the basement.

Aaron and Jessica Schaffhausen divorced in January and the husband had moved to North Dakota. Investigators say there were two previous incidents at the home, one last March when the father allegedly threatened to harm at least one of the children.

The neighborhood still remains a crime scene for investigators. It's an area with a lot of young children and young fathers like Josh Lassi, who had to explain to his children why they won't see the Schaffhausen sisters again. He says he told his employer he was staying home on Wednesday to work from home. He says "if they had any questions or if they wanted to go over anything, I don't want them to hear from a neighbor or anybody else."

School counselors are on hand today from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Greenwood Elementary School in River Falls to help the girls' friends and family cope with the loss of Cecilia, Sophie and Amara Schaffhausen.

Tags: river falls, news, crime