GWINNETT COUNTY, GA – In a horrific suspected case of murder-suicide, three children, aged between 9 and 13 years, were found dead in Georgia. The victims’ mother had permitted their ex-partner to take them out to eat, local authorities reported.
On Wednesday, at about 1 a.m., an officer patrolling Lucky Shoals Park in Gwinnett County, approximately 20 miles northeast of Atlanta, discovered the bodies of a man and three minors in a parked vehicle on a walking path.
The deceased children were identified as Arianny Rodriguez, 13, Chadal Rodriguez, 11, and Carlos Rodriguez, 9, by the Gwinnett County Police. The man found dead was identified as 56-year-old Jose Plasencia, who had formerly been in a relationship with the children’s mother.
According to authorities, the mother of the children was in the hospital as one of her other children had an unrelated injury. Plasencia, the father of the injured child, had met the mother and the children at the hospital. After a while, the mother consented to let the three children accompany the suspect to eat while she stayed at the hospital, the police detailed in a Facebook statement.
Describing the incident as a tragedy, Gwinnett County Police Sgt. Michele Pihera pledged officers’ commitment to a thorough investigation. The officers would approach it as any other homicide and try to provide closure to the involved families.