Houston police are looking for the killer of a whole family -- an Episcopal pastor, his wife and their young child -- who were found apparently beaten to death in their apartment on Monday.

Authorities identified the victims as university chaplain Israel Ahimbisibwe, 52; his son Jay, 5; and his wife, Dorcus.

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The pastor's congregation, the Holy Spirit Episcopal Church, said the couple also had two adult sons, Issac and Emmanuel, who were not staying with their parents at the time. One was reportedly joining the Marines and the other is in California attending boarding school.

Ahimbisibwe, who was described as a lanky and well-educated clergyman from Uganda, did not appear to lead their afternoon services on Sunday, the congregation said.

Worried over his disappearance, the pastor's followers visited his apartment. When no one came to their call, they got in touch with the building's manager, who called police.

Firefighters and police broke into the apartment at half past 9 in the morning on Monday and found the three dead.

Local media, quoting police sources, said the victims might have been beaten to death but police declined to confirm how they were killed.

Ordained in Uganda, Ahimbisibwe came to the U.S. about ten years ago to study at Harvard Divinity School, the local Episcopal Church said.

He served as pastor in Massachusetts and then studied at Rice University in Texas, where he worked on his master's and doctorate degrees.

The church's secretary, Nancy Taylor, said his congregation could not think of anything - any situation or problem - that could lead to the homicide.

At the University of Houston, where the killed pastor, known there as Father Israel, worked in a student-outreach program, officials were gathering mourners for a memorial service on Tuesday night.

The manager of the university's religion center, Bruce Twenhafel, said the clergyman very tall, skinny and quiet but he did light up a room, adding the chaplain was just a "neat person."