The narrow two-story home at 329 Knapp Ave. in Irondequoit was much like the rest of the street — quiet, peaceful, uneventful.
It was a family home, two parents and two very young children, one toddler aged and one just beyond.
Police had no calls there, no concerns. In fact, the one instance Irondequoit police could recall was about another nearby crime.
“We had a stolen car in the area and we asked if they saw anybody,” said Irondequoit Police Chief Scott Peters.
All of which ratchets the shocking discovery in the home early Saturday morning to an even more shocking level. There, inside the home, firefighters responding to reports of smoke and a possible blaze found four dead — the parents, 30-year-old Fraime Ubaldo and 26-year-old Marangely Moreno-Santiago, and their two children, 4-year-old Evangeline Ubaldo-Moreno and 2-year-old Sebastian Ubalde-Moreno.
The four were the victims of homicide, deaths not attributable to the fire, which was extinguished quickly. The fires — several were set throughout the home, investigators say — were an apparent attempt to cover up the killings.
Police have not released the likely causes of death, and are still awaiting determinations from the medical examiner’s office.
Family, friends and police in shock over deaths
On Monday friends toted balloons and stuffed animals to the front porch of the now vacant home. Most said they were not yet at a point where they were ready to discuss the tragedy publicly.
Some family had attended the Irondequoit police press conference earlier in the day, sitting quietly in the back of the room in the police department as Peters and others revealed what limited information they could about the quadruple homicide.
Records show that Ubaldo bought the home in late 2021 for $140,000. He and Moreno-Santiago built a comfortable life there, according to Xiomara Weeks, a family friend.
She has known Moreno-Santiago for seven years; the two worked earlier together at a call center. Weeks is the godmother to Evangeline and Sebastian.
“I lost my best friend,” she said. “… She’s like my family right here.”
Moreno-Santiago stayed home after the births of the children, Weeks said. Weeks said her friend always knew how to uplift her when she was in a down mood and her spirits were weak.
“I used to come to her crying. … She would know what to say.”
As a mother, Moreno-Santiago was vigilant with the care and safety of her children. She never left the driveway, when driving, without checking and double-checking that the kids were secured in their seats.
Irondequoit family’s death raises questions of how and why
Now, the tight-knit family is at the center of a tragic mystery: Yes, there is the question of how they died, but there are also the questions of why. Police say the investigation is too early to have a handle on any possible motives.
This much is certain: There are those in the community with answers. Peters said he hopes that those with information, regardless how minor it may seem, reach out to police. The family deserves justice, he said; the children deserve justice.
“The kids didn’t deserve it. They had a whole life in front of them.”
The police are asking for anyone with information to call the department at (585)336-6000 or, if one wants to be anonymous, Crimestoppers at (585)423-9300.
This article originally appeared on Rochester Democrat and Chronicle: Tragic mystery unfolds in Irondequoit NY after family found dead
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