A family of four was brutally murdered in their upstate New York home, in scenes so gruesome that veteran law enforcement officers were shocked by what they found.
Irondequoit police said they found the bodies of two parents, a four-year-old girl and a two-year-old boy in a burned-out home early Saturday morning.
They were identified as Fraime Ubaldo, 30, Marangely Moreno-Santiago, 26, Evangeline Ubaldo-Moreno and Sebastian Ubaldo-Moreno.
Police are searching for the killer and arsonist who apparently wanted to destroy evidence by trying to set fire to the Knapp Avenue home in the leafy town near Lake Ontario and the U.S.-Canada border.
Irondequoit Police Chief Scott Peters, a 32-year veteran of the force, was visibly shaken at a news conference, describing the scene as “the worst I’ve ever seen” and vowing to “bring these monsters to justice.”
A family of four has been brutally murdered in their upstate New York home. (Pictured: Victims Marangely Moreno-Santiago, 26, with her children Evangeline Ubaldo-Moreno, four, and Sebastian Ubaldo-Moreno, two. Their father Fraime Ubaldo, 30, was also murdered.)
Irondequoit police said they found the bodies of two parents, a four-year-old girl and a two-year-old boy in a burned-out home in the early hours of Saturday. (Pictured: Relatives leave balloons outside the Knapp Avenue home in Irondequoit)
The victims were identified as Fraime Ubaldo, 30, Marangely Moreno-Santiago, 26, Evangeline Ubaldo-Moreno and Sebastian Ubaldo-Moreno. (Pictured: Coroner at the scene)
The department did not disclose how the killer killed the family of four, but said it was “clear this was a homicide investigation” because of the “condition of the bodies.”
“Given the nature of the incident, it took nearly two days for us to process the case,” Irondequoit police said in a news release.
The department said firefighters were the first to be called to the scene, around 5:23 a.m. Saturday morning, when a 911 caller reported the fire.
Police and firefighters arrived on scene and got the fire under control, then officers went inside and made the gruesome discovery.
They confirmed that Ubaldo and Moreno-Santiago were the parents of the two children found with them.
Peters said his department will not rest until their killer is brought to justice.
“These children deserve it. They had their whole lives ahead of them,” he told the news conference.
Police are searching for the killer and arsonist who apparently wanted to destroy evidence by trying to set fire to the Knapp Avenue home in the leafy town near Lake Ontario and the U.S.-Canada border.
The department said firefighters were the first to be called to the scene at about 5:23 a.m. Saturday when the 911 caller reported the fire
Irondequoit Township Supervisor Andrae Evans said in a statement that the township is “deeply saddened by the recent, terrible tragedy that has struck our community.”
“Our deepest condolences go out to the family, friends and neighbours affected by this senseless act of violence,” he added.
“We are shocked and sickened by these evil actions. This violent act is completely inconsistent with the values of our safe, caring and inclusive community.”
Evans said he has given police the authority to “use all available legal measures to bring those responsible for this heinous crime to justice as quickly as possible.”
The children’s mother, Moreno-Santiago, was remembered by a heartbroken friend who paid her respects on Facebook as a “sweet and loving person” who “went above and beyond for her children.”
She shared a GoFundMe page to raise money for the family’s funerals.
Police have not disclosed how the killer killed the family of four, but said it was “clear this was going to be a murder investigation” due to the “condition of the bodies”