DURANT, MS (WJTV) – Authorities say two Catholic nuns have been found slain in a Mississippi home where they lived.

WJTV talked to Durant’s police chief about the investigation. The chief said the women had stab wounds.

One is a member of the Sisters of Charity of Nazareth in Kentucky. The other is part of the School Sisters of St. Francis in Milwaukee.

Sisters of Charity identified the victims as Paula Merrill and Margaret Held. Merrill was a member of Sisters of Charity.

They posted a statement on their website about the murders.

The nuns were found by authorities during a welfare check after they didn’t show up for work.

Mississippi Department of Public Safety spokesman Warren Strain says it appears the nuns were homicide victims.

Sisters of Charity is asking for prayers for both families.