A father of three in Danbury, Connecticut, fainted after learning that his wife had allegedly committed suicide after strangling their children in what is believed to be a murder-suicide.
Police discovered the body of 36-year-old Sonia Loja and her children, ages 12,10 and 5, at their home Wednesday at around 6:30 p.m, local outlet News 12 Connecticut reported.
Officers found the body of the dead children –12-year-old Junior Panjon, 10-year-old Joselyn Panjon, and 5-year-old Jonael Panjon inside the house, The Sun reported.
Loja was found hanged inside a shed in the home’s backyard, the news station reported.
“Well overnight obviously, our evidence teams are here, they’re processing the scene. State’s Attorney has been notified their inspector and State’s Attorney have been here as well,” Danbury County Police Chief Patrick Riddenhour told News 12 Connecticut.
“It’s a really extremely difficult time for many of the officers, especially those who had to go inside. We are ensuring their mental health and well-being is being taken care of at this time, as well,” Riddenhour said.
Police said they had carried out a welfare check in response to a request from someone “distraught and crying,” the news station reported. According to neighbors, the man who requested the welfare check was Loja’s husband, Pedro Panjon, the New York Post reported.
“He called the cops and asked them to do a wellness check and then he came here and he beat the cops here,” Elvis Espinal, a neighbor, told The Post on Thursday.
“So he went inside and like a couple minutes later he came out and he called 911 and just fainted to the ground,” Espinal said.
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Neighbors speaking to The Post expressed surprise over the deaths in their neighborhood. To many, the Panjons appeared to be a regular family.
“What was she thinking?” a neighbor told The Post, adding that for the four or five years the family resided next to his property, they were “quiet.”
“So yeah, we’d say ‘Hi’ and wave but they kept to themselves,” he said, according to the outlet. “They had parties on the weekends, picnics. Just family. They kept the yard nice, they built that shed.”
“She was even-tempered. My mom even said she never noticed anything abnormal about her,” he said. “She was always nice to me. No attitude or anything. The kids were always very friendly, well-behaved,” Espinal said.
According to neighbors, Loja ran a daycare inside the home until she stopped after the Connecticut Office of Early Childhood visited the house four times between May and June after hearing of her illegally-run daycare services, News 12 Connecticut reported.
The agency’s last visit to the home was on June 30, which was also the last day Loja offered such services.
Neighbors in the past few days have expressed their condolences over the deaths by dropping off balloons, stuffed animals, and candles, the news station reported.
“Her kids were the ones that passed by every day, very polite and very friendly,” Sandra, a neighbor, told the outlet.
A classmate described Joselyn as “quiet” but “very smart,” adding that Joselyn “knew every question, like every question my teacher asked.”
Officials have not released the autopsies of the deceased yet, The Sun reported.
