Double-Murder Suicide: Father Commits Suicide After Killing His Children

Two small children and their father were found dead, which is believed to be a double murder-suicide, in the garage of a dilapidated property in South Norwalk’s Elizabeth Street. A woman, whom the police describe as a family member, raised alarm when she stumbled upon the tragic site.

Kristie Reda, who lives on Elizabeth Street, told The Hour that her sister-in-law awoke to the woman’s screams at 7 a.m Monday when she discovered the bodies. “This is something horrible to deal with in normal circumstances, and if you add in the quarantine situation, its something you don’t really want to see,” Reda said.

The head of Norwalk Police Detective Bureau, Lt. Thomas Mattera said the two children - Gisselle, 5, and Jesus, 4, were killed by their father, 27-year-old Yimi Moncada, who later killed himself. Mattera said the investigation is ongoing. “What I can say is that this was a very traumatic incident and we are doing all we can to help the family,” he said.

Reports highlight that Moncada and his children’s mother got divorced in 2017. According to The Hour, the children were staying with Moncada for the weekend and a family member notified the police when they did not return on time.

The Department of Children and Families (DCF), according to Hartford Courant, had been in contact with the family in 2015 following a domestic violence incident between Moncada and the children’s mother. Furthermore, court records show that the children’s mother had filed for a divorce, which was finalized in 2017.

In a statement, DCF Commissioner Vannessa Dorantes described the incident as horrible. “This is a horrible incident that makes us feel great anguish for the loss of these innocent children, for their grieving mother, and the community members who knew them,” she said.

Dorantes said the department had lost contact with the family five years ago. She explained that the mother had obtained a restraining order against the children’s father due to domestic violence and concerns were raised for an infant in the home.

“Upon assessment, the children were viewed as safe and their needs were appropriately met. Our involvement ended as it was reported to the Agency that father completed court-ordered programming, the prior chargers were dismissed,” she said.

The DCF will be conducting a full review of its work in this incident and collaborate with community partners to determine how they can strengthen their efforts.