Police hunt US knife man

The Soltys family were well-known in the area

A major search is under way in California for a 27-year-old man who police say stabbed his wife to death and killed four more relatives, including two children.

The suspect, who is thought to be holding a three-year-old child, is reported to be a Ukrainian emigre named Nikolay Soltys.

Nikolay Soltys is reported to have murdered his wife

The man allegedly first killed his wife in the suburban Sacramento community of North Highlands then drove to the Rancho Cordova suburb about 16 kilometres (10 miles) away and killed two elderly people, a 10-year-old boy and a nine-year-old girl.

Police said the Rancho Cordova victims were the man's aunt and uncle and two young cousins.

The elderly couple were found dead in an apartment. The girl was attacked inside the home but staggered outside, where she was found by neighbours, police said. She was pronounced dead on arrival in hospital.

The boy's body was found outside the home.

Manhunt

A national manhunt was launched, with extra police posted at bus terminals and airports in the Sacramento area.

Sergeant James Lewis of the local police department said investigators were following up reports that the suspect was heading for Oregon and had relatives there.

"We want to get this guy off the streets as quickly as possible," he said.

The BBC's Nick Bryant in Washington says the police investigation is hampered by the fact that many of the man's neighbours in Sacramento do not speak English.

English lessons

Oleg Bogush, a 19-year-old neighbour, said he has known Mr Soltys for more than a year, since the man moved from Ukraine.

"Almost anyone who lives in this area knows him," he said, adding that Mr Soltys was a quiet man.

He also said his wife had moved to the Sacramento area a few months ago with their child.

According to Mr Bogush, Mr Soltys did not have a job, but was attending English classes five days a week with his sister.

Another neighbour, Zoya Zukharsky, said: "The last time I talked to [Mr Soltys] was on Friday. He was very happy; nothing seemed wrong at all.

"His wife had just gotten a job and was supposed to start today. She seemed satisfied with life. It was absolutely unexpected."

Sacramento - the Californian capital - is home to more than 50,000 immigrants from the former Soviet Union, mostly from Russia and Ukraine.