A team of law enforcement surrounded and then entered a home along Valleydale Road Thursday evening, the latest development in an ongoing investigation into the deaths of five Hispanic men whose bodies were found in an apartment near Inverness Wednesday.

Authorities, including members of the Shelby County Sheriff's Office, the Alabama Bureau of Investigation and the Federal Bureau of Investigation, entered the home at 6:36 p.m. to look for evidence after having surrounded the home for two hours.  There was no immediate word of any arrests.

The home is located a few miles southwest of the Cahaba Lakes apartment complex, where a swarm of deputies and agents continued to search for evidence behind the deaths of the five men.  The men's bodies were sent to the Alabama Department of Forensics in Montgomery for autopsies.  The Shelby County coroner warned it may take a while before identities and official causes of death are confirmed, though several law enforcement sources have said the men's throats were slashed.

"It's just going to take a while to figure all this out," Coroner Diana Hawkins said.  Hawins would not answer questions about how long the bodies might have been in the apartment.  "I don't want to comment on them until the autopsies and causes of death are in," she said.

Sources continued to speculate the men may have been killed elsewhere and that their bodies might have been dumped later in the apartment.  Others said authorities were reviewing whether the killings had any connection to gang or drug activity.

The Shelby County Sheriff's Office, which had said it hoped to provide an update to the media at some point Thursday, still had not provided a briefing by Thursday evening.  Cahaba Lakes residents said they understood the sensitivity of the investigation.  But they said, as neighbors, they wanted more information from authorities.

"I think if they should be telling anybody anything, it should be the people that's living here," said Stephen Capps, a Cahaba Lakes resident.  "I understand they have to keep certain things quiet until they can get the details situated.  But some stuff they could let us know."

"Nobody is telling me anything, and I don't feel like I'm getting closure.  And I don't feel like I'm very safe," said resident James Drumheller.

Neighbors felt the killings were likely not random.  And while that idea brought some comfort, they were still concerned.

"I still want to know why, in the neighborhood I live in, in a nice area, why these things are happening," Drumheller added.  "All it takes is a mistake in the apartment number.  One door over is all it takes, and some innocent people are dead."

The apartment complex's manager did not return a call seeking comment on any security measures in place for residents.

Isabel Rubio, a Hispanic community activist in Birmingham, expressed deep concern about the crime.  She said she feared the level of distrust between Hispanic community members and law enforcement could hinder efforts to bring perpetrators to justice.

Sheriff's deputies have established an anonymous crime reporting line for anyone to share any information that could help in the case.  Callers can dial (205) 669-9116 and provide a tip without giving their names.  Tips can also be submitted by logging onto www.shelbyso.com and clicking on "Report Criminal Activity."

Crime Stoppers is also ready to take anonymous tips at (205) 254-7777.  Encrypted tips can be submitted by logging onto www.birminghamcrimestoppers.org and clicking on the "Submit an Online Tip" link.