By Julia Marnin
Merced Sun-Star
IRONDEQUOIT, N.Y.Two young siblings and their parents were killed before firefighters found the family dead in the basement of their burning home during Labor Day weekend, authorities in western New York said.
The discovery was made after a 911 caller reported a house fire in Irondequoit, a Rochester suburb, around 5:23 a.m. on Aug. 31, the town’s police department said in a Sept. 2 news release.
After firefighters arrived, they extinguished several fires throughout the home and searched the bedrooms for occupants, Irondequoit Fire District Chief Shane Metcalfe said at a Sept. 2 news conference recorded by WHAM-TV.
Then, they located the bodies of the family of four in the basement, according to Metcalfe, who said they alerted police.
The family members found were the father, Fraime Ubaldo, 30; the mother, Marangely Moreno-Santiago, 26; their 4-year-old daughter Evangeline Ubaldo-Moreno; and 2-year-old son Sebastian Ubaldo-Moreno, police said.
“This was a horrific scene,” Irondequoit Police Chief Scott Peters said at the news conference. “In almost 32 years doing this job, I’ve never seen anything like it.”
It was clear to investigators that the four deaths were homicides, based on the condition of their bodies, according to authorities.
Peters said the cause of their deaths are known, but he declined to reveal it at the news conference. The homicide investigation is underway and the cause of the fire is still being investigated, according to Metcalfe.
Moreno-Santiago’s father, Luz Moreno, the grandfather of her two children, told WHAM-TV that his daughter “was a sweet girl — very dependable, a great mom. Everything was for her (kids), you know?”
In recalling the crime scene while speaking at the news conference, Peters said, “It’s the worst thing I’ve ever seen. I’ll remember it for life.”
Irondequoit police are asking anyone who may have information about the family’s deaths to call the department at 585-336-6000. Anonymous calls can be placed with Crimestoppers at 585-423-9300.
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