LOS ANGELES, California – The L.A. County medical examiner has identified the four Granada Hills residents who died in a suspected triple homicide and suicide over the weekend. The incident, described as “horrific” by one officer, has left authorities searching for a motive.
On Saturday evening, Los Angeles police responded to a call from a home in the foothills of the Santa Susana Mountains, where they discovered the bodies of an older man, his wife, and two of their adult children. The family patriarch, identified as 79-year-old Rodrigo De Leon, was found to have killed himself after killing his wife Arabella De Leon, 80, their daughter Merceditas De Leon, 49, and son Rodrigo De Leon, 53.
According to the medical examiner, the cause of the septuagenarian’s death was a suicide by a gunshot wound to the chest, while the other three deaths were classified as homicides caused by multiple gunshot wounds. One woman, the couple’s adult daughter with special needs, survived the incident by barricading herself in a room and calling for help.
During a briefing for reporters, LAPD Capt. Kelly Muniz stated that the only positive point was that there was at least one witness who survived the incident. Neighbors described the family as “quiet” and expressed shock at the violence in their affluent community.
“This is a nice neighborhood,” said one neighbor. “To think that a triple homicide or a shootout can happen, that’s not what we moved here for.”
As authorities continue to search for a motive, the community remains in shock and mourns the loss of the four victims. Funerals or vigils have yet to be scheduled, and the remaining family declined to comment to the media.