NAPLES, Fla. -- Five young children and their mother were found dead in a Florida apartment, and authorities were searching Sunday for the woman's husband, who had left the country.

Mesac Damas, 33, boarded a flight to Haiti from Miami International Airport on Friday, said Collier County Sheriff's Office spokeswoman Michelle Batten. Damas has family from Haiti, she said. Sheriff's officials said they want to talk to Damas, who is a person of interest.

Haitian police spokesman Frantz Lerebours could not immediately be reached for comment. A message was also left with the FBI.

The victims were identified as Guerline Damas, 32, and her children: Michzach, 9; Marven, 6; Maven, 5; Megan, 3; and 11-month-old Morgan. Batten would not say how they died.

Family members contacted authorities Thursday saying they hadn't heard from the mother. A missing person report was filed the next day, and on Saturday, the sheriff's office entered the home in a gated community in Naples and found the bodies, Batten said.

Sheriff Rambosk called the homicides "the worst of the worst."

Damas left Miller's Ale House in Naples, where he worked as a cook, Thursday night. He arrived at the Miami airport Friday morning and boarded a flight to Haiti, the sheriff's office said. His car was found at the airport and had been secured by investigators who are checking it for evidence.

The man's father, Jean Damas Sr., told the Naples Daily News that his son had called his brother from Haiti. Damas Sr. also said his son and his wife have had domestic problems. A phone message left Sunday by the Associated Press for Damas Sr. was not immediately returned.

Collier County court records show Mesac Damas has prior charges for domestic violence against his wife. A 2005 charge was dismissed after a hearing.