Washington - Chicago police Thursday were investigating the slaughter of five people found dead Wednesday in a South Side home, including one victim who had been severely beaten before his death, a newspaper report said.

The killings are part of a crime wave across Chicago that has claimed more than 12 lives in the past week. At least 40 people have been wounded in the shootings, the Chicago Tribune reported online.

While police have attributed many of the killings to gang feuds on the South and West Sides, Chicago police spokeswoman Monique Bond said the slaying of the five could have been done by someone the victims knew.

The bodies of the five victims, thought to be in their 20s, were found on the first floor of the two-story house.

The beating victim, a 27-year-old man, was missing teeth as well as an eye. Two of the dead were women who were striptease dancers. (dpa)