A Connecticut mom was found dead by hanging, along with her three strangled children, on Wednesday.
Sonia Loja, 26, a Danbury mom, strangled her children before hanging herself in a shed behind her home on Whaley Street.
Loja’s three children, 12, 10 and 5-years-old, were found dead at the home.
“Pending an official autopsy, preliminary findings indicate that Ms. Loja strangled her three children before killing herself,” Danbury police said in a statement to The New York Post. “However, this is still an active investigation.”
Loja’s husband, Pedro Panjon, called 911 and collapsed in the home’s yard after discovering the bodies, neighbors said.
He had left the home at around 6 a.m. to go to work. His brother, who also lives in the home, went to work at around 10 a.m. but didn’t report anything strange.
Loja ran a day care service out of her home, and had playground equipment in the backyard. She had told parents of the kids she watched that they should not bring their children to her house on the day of the killings and suicide.
Panjon, shared a post on social media Wednesday night, showing a black ribbon with a Spanish phrase that says “Rest in peace, Now you are in a better place with God.”
He shared photos of Loja and the children in happier times, including a picture of the mother holding a baby in her arms at a birthday party.
Neighbors were shocked. Mayor Dean Esposito characterized the incident as a “truly horrible event” that rocked the Connecticut city.
“In the coming days, mental health and counseling services will be provided through collaboration with the Danbury Public Schools and the City of Danbury,” Esposito said in a statement. “Our community grieves for the innocent lives taken from us. We will get through this together.”