Mom and Daughter, 10, Found Dead with Boyfriend in Murder-Suicide — Now 2 Young Boys Are Left Behind

Authorities are investigating an apparent murder-suicide in New Jersey after a man allegedly shot and killed his girlfriend and her daughter before taking his own life. 

10-year-old Evangelina Velásquez was with her mother, Claribel Torres, 42, and Fernando Mercado, 42, when Hamilton police officers found the three dead inside Mercado’s home after responding to a 911 call around 4 a.m., NJ.com reported, citing police.

All three were pronounced dead at the scene per the Mercer County Prosecutor’s Office. 

“Our community is grieving an unimaginable tragedy involving the untimely deaths of three people, including a 10-year-old girl,” township Mayor Jeff Martin said to NJ.com. “On behalf of Hamilton Township, I extend my prayers to their family members, friends, and neighbors.”

Evangelina’s father, Bladimir Velásquez, said that two other children were also in the home at the time of the shooting but were not harmed, CBS News reported. 

Bladimir said he was already concerned for his daughter’s safety and was waiting for an upcoming court date, per the outlet. “I went to child services for a very long time, and it was always one court after another; they kept rescheduling,” he said. 

Bladimir told CBS that his daughter, a fourth grader at Foundation Academy Charter School in Trenton, loved to swim and was always decisive. 

“She was always very clever, strong fighter, from when she was born, always active, never stopped moving,” he said, per the outlet, adding that she always knew what she wanted. “If we were in Disneyland and she wanted to take that ride and not this one, no matter what anybody said, she was going to follow her instincts.”

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Bladimir started a GoFundMe to raise money for his 10-year-old daughter’s funeral expenses. 

“She was murdered by her stepfather while defending her mother and brothers,” he wrote in the post. “Eva was the oldest sister, just beginning to rise, loved by everyone, and will be missed by friends and family and never forgotten. I love and miss my baby forever.”

If you or someone you know is considering suicide, please contact the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-TALK (8255), text “STRENGTH” to the Crisis Text Line at 741-741 or go to suicidepreventionlifeline.org.

If you are experiencing domestic violence, call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-7233, or go to thehotline.org. All calls are toll-free and confidential. The hotline is available 24/7 in more than 170 languages.