EAST HAVEN -- Police spoke out Wednesday on their investigation into the shooting deaths of a couple who were found late Monday. Police ruled the case a murder-suicide and said it occurred around 11:30 p.m. Sunday, even though the bodies weren't found until almost 24 hours later.
Police identified the couple on Foxon Boulevard as Ingrid Del Rio Garcia, 37, and Guillermo Rodriguez, 43. Police say Garcia died of multiple gunshot wounds to the chest and arm, Rodriguez died from a self-inflected gunshot. Rodriguez was found holding a handgun.
The couple had two children together, ages 1 and 7. Garcia also leaves behind another child, age 15. Police say the children are safe and with family members. The children were not home at the time of the shootings.
Neighbors say they heard popping sounds Sunday but no one thought to call police. Monday, a man expressing concern for a relative inside alerted police.
“Officers were able to shine a flashlight through the blinds that were on the glass of the door and were able to see somebody laying on the floor, a male party,” said Lt. David Emerman, spokesperson for the East Haven Police Department.
Police say they had never been called to the home in the past for any reason. The couple had been together at least 10 years and lived at that address for the last five.
Rodriguez had three legally registered guns, two handguns and a long-gun. Police found two of the guns in plain sight at the scene, and said they were involved.
Police also found a note that they say was "threatening in nature."
“There was something alluding to the relationship with their kids and some type of perhaps a custody dispute,” said Emerman.
The note also mentioned Rodriguez would not allow Garcia to take the children away from him. Garcia's sister spoke to Fox CT Tuesday about the tragedy.
“She was planning to move to Florida,” said Evelyn Del Rio, a sister of the victim. “I guess she was tired of him already... She was a happy girl, a happy mom, a happy sister.”
However, she didn't have as nice things to say about Rodriguez. Del Rio said Rodriguez was never friendly to any of their family that would visit the couple. He would always keep to himself, she said.
To defray funeral expenses, friends of Garcia have set up two fundraising accounts: one option is to go to any TD Bank branch in Connecticut and donate to the Ingrid Del Rio Fund; the other is to go to Del Rio Garcia's GoFundMe page which you can find by clicking here.