Man accused of killing 3 children in Gwinnett County park identified

GWINNETT COUNTY, Ga. - Gwinnett County police have identified the man who they say killed three children belonging to the mother of his child in a park before killing himself.

He has been identified as 56-year-old Jose Plasencia.

FOX 5 has learned Plasencia was previously arrested once for an "expired or no license" charge plus a traffic violation. Investigators said Plasencia was known to own a gun but told some people that he recently sold it.

Jose Plasencia

The bodies of the children and man were discovered around 1 a.m. May 8 at Lucky Shoals Park in Norcross.

An officer reportedly noticed a car parked on one of the walking paths and called out to the people inside. When they didn't respond, the officer went to investigate and discovered four bodies inside.

ORIGINAL STORY: 3 children killed at Gwinnett park identified, police say suspected killer not the father

A man was in the driver's seat, and three juveniles -- two girls and a boy -- were also in the vehicle. At the time of discovery, police said the children appeared to be in elementary or middle school.

 

Initially, police thought the man in the car, who appeared to have killed the children before killing himself, was the father.

Later in the day, Gwinnett County police reported that the children's mother had been at a local hospital with another child receiving treatment for an unrelated injury. She had permitted the man, who was the father of the child in the hospital, to take the other three children out for a meal. According to police, the mother and the suspect were not in a relationship at the time of the incident and he was not the father of the children killed.

The victims were identified as 13-year-old Arianny Rodriguez, 9-year-old Carlos Rodriguez, and 11-year-old Chadal Rodriguez on Wednesday afternoon. 

A GoFundMe was reportedly created by the mother of the children. Karina Rodriguez says that she is heartbroken by the tragic loss of her "three little angels" and she is asking for help to pay for their funeral expenses. Rodriguez says that she wants to take the children back to the Dominican Republic and give them a "Christian burial."

Anyone with information about the case is encouraged to contact the Gwinnett County Police Department.

For those experiencing a crisis or needing support, assistance is available by calling or texting 988, or by chatting online at 988lifeline.org.