Thread: Update / Family of 5 die in Houston

May 11, 2008, 11:10PM
Answers lacking in family's deaths
As police seek clues in apparent murder-suicide, neighbors mourn


By MIKE GLENN
Copyright 2008 Houston Chronicle

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Police and friends are searching for answers as to why a northeast Houston man apparently killed his wife and three young children before taking his own life late last week.

The El Salvador immigrant left nothing at the scene to help explain the deaths, said authorities, who have yet to release the identity of the family. The bodies were found Saturday inside the fenced-in home in the 10100 block of Stonewood.

"The investigation is still ongoing," HPD Sgt. John Chomiak said Sunday. "They are trying to get hold of people at a local church that they went to."

Neighbor Douglas Potts knew the man only as Salvador and his wife as Lupe. Potts saw the man's body, slumped over on the porch of the house that he built about four years ago. A rifle was found near him.

On Wednesday, Potts said Salvador asked him for the name of a mechanic who could fix his broken-down car. It was the last time they spoke.

"He never gave us the impression that something was wrong," Potts said Sunday.

Police discovered the bodies of two young children — a boy, 6, and a girl, 3 — on a mattress inside the home. Their mother and an older brother, 7, were dead on the floor.

"I just couldn't believe it," Potts said. "I don't know what drove him to that."

On Sunday, a Snoopy doll and other plush animals were placed inside the mailbox, and a hand-drawn sign that said "May God Have Mercy" was placed on the ground as a memorial.

Sallie Potts said she wasn't able to sleep Saturday night because her mind was filled with questions.

"He was a respectable person," she said. "If he had pain, he held it back."

Sallie Potts wondered if her neighbor spoke to his wife before allegedly taking her life.

"Did he say anything about why he did it? Did she know what he was doing?" she said.

A high wooden fence surrounds the property where the family lived. The rough-hewn house — two smaller buildings connected by a common porch — sits on cinderblocks.

Several small bicycles and other toys are scattered throughout the yard.

A small workbench sits in the shade of a child's tree house. A sign leaning against a tree inside the yard offers home improvement work to interested customers. Several hand tools and building supplies are stacked in the yard.

"He did odd jobs, building barns and stuff like that," Potts said.

Neighbors have speculated that financial setbacks might have driven the man to kill his family and himself.

"He loved his babies," Douglas Potts said, shocked by the apparent murder-suicide. "He bought them all kinds of stuff."

Sallie Potts said her neighbor often took his children to the park or on fishing trips.

"I know he cared for those kids," she said. "But you never know what's on a person's mind."

mike.glenn@chron.com



http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/front/5771570.html

Sadly enough, we will see more of this will as people start losing jobs and homes. There has to be something wrong with the person's mind first, in order to go to this extreme.

One thing the update did not say was that this family was illegals .
You know the invasion is bad when you have family`s of illegals doing this .