IRONDEQUOIT, N.Y. (TCN) — Police are investigating after a couple and their two young children were found deceased in their home following a fire in what the local police chief called the “worst thing I’ve ever seen.”
On Aug. 31 at 5:23 a.m., the Irondequoit Police and Fire departments received a call about a fire at a home on Knapp Avenue. Other fire departments in the area also showed up to help fight the blaze. Firefighters were able to quickly bring the flames under control, and while looking through the residence, firefighters found four people deceased.
The Irondequoit Police Department identified the victims as 30-year-old Fraime Ubaldo, 26-year-old Marangely Moreno-Santiago, 4-year-old Evangeline Ubaldo-Moreno, and 2-year-old Sebastian Ubaldo-Moreno.
In their statement, police said the state of the victims’ bodies made it “readily apparent that this was going to be a homicide investigation.”
Once the area was secure, investigators began collecting and processing evidence, which took two full days because of the “nature of the scene.”
Irondequoit Police Chief Scott Peters spoke at a press conference Sept. 2 and lamented the “horrific scene.”
“In almost 32 years of doing this job, I’ve never seen anything like it,” he said.
Peters said the killings were “not a random act,” and that investigators are working to “bring these monsters to justice.”
Police reportedly did not have any history with the family. They moved into the area about three years ago.
Peters said, “When you murder innocent children, there’s no excuse for it.”
Peters did not go into depth about the scene or how the victims died, but he shared, “Mom was being a mom protecting her children. Dad, I can’t say. Nobody should be able to think they can do that to a child.”
Peters added, “I’ll remember this for life.”