Police in the metro Atlanta community of Loganville, Georgia are still trying to figure out what caused a mother of four to kill her husband and their four small children yesterday. Gwinnett County police are saying Isabel Martinez called 911 yesterday morning around 5 a.m. to report that she needed help. Martinez was speaking Spanish and there was a delay as a translator was found to determine what the situation was and to dispatch officers to her home.
When police arrived at her trailer, they discovered a horrific and bloody crime scene. Martinez had stabbed her husband Martin Romero, 25, and five of the children all under the age of 10. The slain children have been identified as 2-year-old Axel, 4-year-old Dillan, 7-year-old Dacota and 10-year-old Isabela Martinez. One of Martinez’s children, Diana Romero, 9, survived the knife attack and was flown to Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta – Egleston in critical condition.
Family members and friends stated to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution that Martinez had been grief-stricken over the recent death of her father in Michoacán, Mexico. She was unable to attend her father’s funeral possibly because she may have been in the United States illegally and could not risk crossing the border into Mexico and being unable to return. The family had just returned from a July 4th beach trip and seemed to be okay, according to one family member. However, 12 hours later, Martinez allegedly committed the horrific murders.
Martinez is now being held in the Gwinnett County Detention Center on five counts of malice murder, five counts of murder and six counts of aggravated assault. The Gwinnett County Police issued the following emailed statement: “What prompts a person to take the life of such innocent children and her spouse is something we may never understand. This is a horrendous crime not only for the victims but for the extended family, neighborhood, and community. We are hoping and praying that the remaining victim survives her injuries and makes a full recovery.”
A family member started a GoFundMe campaign titled “Romero Family Funeral & MedicalFund” to cover the funeral cost and medical care of the surviving child. So far, the campaign has raised over $9000 in 24 hours and has a stated goal of reaching $50,000.
