Police, organizations offer help for people leaving violent relationships
SAN ANTONIO — A 12-year-old child found his mother and father killed Thursday morning in an apparent murder-suicide on the city's South Side.
San Antonio Police Chief William McManus said Aidee Rueda, 33, and her kids did not spend the night in the house due to a dispute she had with her 36-year-old husband. She came by the next morning with a co-worker to pick up her belongings. McManus said Rueda was arguing inside a mobile home with her husband while her four children -- between 5 and 12 years old -- waited outside in the car.
The couple’s oldest child discovered their bodies in the home.
Read more: 12-year-old finds mother, father killed in murder-suicide
Children told officers their parents argued a lot to the point to where it wasn’t unusual for the mother to take the kids out of the house overnight.
McManus said police were never called to the house for a domestic violence report.
Neighbors in the Garden Valley mobile home park were stunned to hear about this level of violence in their neighborhood.
“I can’t even think about that it’s horrible I feel bad for those poor babies,” said Jessica Villalobos, who lives in the neighborhood.
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“Leaving a relationship is the most dangerous of times,” said Marta Prada Pelaez, the president and C.E.O. of Family Violence Prevention Services.
The organization helps more than 60,000 victims of domestic violence a year, the majority of whom are children.
“The lessons learned for those children are pretty traumatic and are deserving of long-term therapy and assistance,” Pelaez said.
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Pelaez said San Antonio has the highest rate for fatalities for domestic violence crimes in the state. But it doesn’t have to be if victims ask for help before tragedies like Thursday’s murder-suicide happen.
“Reach out and give us a call. There are programs in the community that can give you assistance and give you help, they do not cost you anything, they are free of charge,” Pelaez said.
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McManus said if you need help leaving a potentially violent relationship you should call the police. Officers will go with you into the home so you can get your things and leave safely. They can also get you connected with organizations that can help.
If you or someone you know is a violent or controlling relationship call Family Violence Prevention Services at (210) 733-8810 and ask for help.
