A man murdered three kids ages 9, 11, and 13 after taking them “to grab a bite to eat” while their mother was in the hospital, Gwinnett County police in Georgia said in a news release.
Spanish-language media have identified the suspect as José Ramón Plascencia, 47 years old, “who was from the Villa Liberación sector, in the Otra Banda, of Santiago de los Caballeros” in the Dominican Republic. That’s according to Almomento, which interviewed Plascencia’s sister and described the suspect as the “ex-partner” of the children’s mother. The sister told Almomento that Plascencia “had psychological and health problems.” The site referred to Plascencia as the children’s “stepfather.”
Police wrote that he was not currently in a relationship with their mother, although they did share a fourth child together, who was unharmed.
On May 8, Gwinnett County police wrote in a news release that they were investigating the possible murder-suicide.
Shortly after 1 a.m., an officer “assigned to the West Precinct was doing an area check at Lucky Shoals Park (4651 Britt Road, Tucker) when he found a suspicious vehicle parked upon a pedestrian trail,” the press release says. “The officer called out to the occupants but got no response. He approached the 4-door passenger car and found the bodies of four individuals inside.”
Here’s what you need to know:
Police Say the Suspect Shared a Child With the Victims’ Mother, But They Weren’t in a Current Relationship
Gwinnett County police identified the victims in a statement posted to their Facebook page.
“Next-of-kin notification has been made for the three children. The victims have been identified as Arianny Rodriguez (age 13, Atlanta), Carlos Rodriguez (age 9, Atlanta), and Chadal Rodriguez (age 11, Atlanta),” they wrote.
“Their mother was at a local hospital with another child who was being treated for an unrelated injury,”the release says.
“The mother and the suspected shooter are parents to the same child who was at the hospital. He is not the father of the three victims and was not in a current relationship with the mother,” the release noted.
“The suspect met with the victim’s mother, her three children, and the child they shared together at a local hospital. After some time, the mother agreed to let the three children go with the suspect to grab a bite to eat while she remained at the hospital,” the release said.
Police Say the Suspect Was the Driver of the Vehicle
Gwinnett County policeThe Gwinnett County crime scene.
Police have not formally released the suspect’s name.
“The name of the suspect will be released once his next-of-kin notification has been made,” the release says.
“The driver appears to be an adult male. The children appear to be elementary and middle school-aged. Two are girls, and one is a boy,” police wrote in the release.
“At this time, detectives are investigating this case as a possible murder-suicide, but final determination will be made by the Medical Examiner’s Office,” the release says.
“Detectives from the Homicide Unit and Crime Scene Unit are processing the scene,” it notes.
“The names of the deceased are being withheld until next-of-kin notification can be made,” the initial press release from police said.
The motive was not clear.
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