ROSTOV-ON-DON, April 29 (RIA Novosti) - A priest in the south Russian city of Rostov-on-Don is believed to have shot dead his wife and son before turning the gun on himself, a police source said on Wednesday.

"The bodies of a woman, a man, and an eight-year-old boy were found on Tuesday," the source told RIA Novosti. "Investigators believe the man was a priest."

The boy and his 34-year-old mother were shot from point-blank range, the source said.

The life.ru news portal quoted an investigator as saying that 38-year-old Vladimir Rusinsky could have killed his family due to depression and financial problems.

"Rudinsky's friends said he was severely depressed of late," a spokesman for the local investigation department said. "It is possible that the tragedy came about due to financial troubles."

A probe is underway to decide on whether a criminal case should be launched.