'Nothing like this,' reporter says on suicide-murder of 3 Fil-Ams in California
The children victims are the ones
wearing same dress opposite to each
other. Jose Mari's wife is second woman
to the left.
photo courtesy of Church Bulletin
via Inland Valley Daily Bulletin
"There is crime in the city and in Los Angeles for sure but nothing like this. This is very shocking... very rare."
Such were the words of journalist Wendy Leung, reporter for the Daily Bulletin of the Inland Valley in Southern California. The "this" being Thursday's discovery of the bloodied and lifeless bodies of Jose Mari Yambao Dogoldogol, his daughters 5 year-old Mary Jo and 3 year-old Jade inside a Ford Taurus car found in the parking lot of a local church.
Exact crime scene was the premises of the Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic Church in Central Avenue, Montclair, California. The young victims violently killed with at least two stab wounds on the chest while strapped in the car and booster seats. The attacker – their 38 year-old father who likewise stabbed himself to death using one murder weapon, a large kitchen knife for all three.
In her story for the Daily Bulletin, Leung wrote about the shock felt by the Filipino-American families, the community gripped with overwhelming sadness as church bells rang and mass offered for the victims and the victims' families. Classes on the Confraternity of Church Doctrine were canceled as well.
In this family picture Jose Mari is third
from right wearing black jacket.
photo courtesy of Church Bulletin
via Inland Valley Daily Bulletin
In a phone interview Saturday, Leung shared to The News Today (TNT) how the quiet cities of Montclair and Ontario saw sudden flurry of activity with news vans of major news networks in Los Angeles, reporters, police officers and residents of Filipino-descent seen altogether in the crime scene.
With the Dogoldogols described as "very prominent" in the community and known to be highly-devout Catholics, tears were openly shed as friends of the family comforted each other.
Jose Mari was described by neighbors and family friends as "good kind-hearted person." He was also a member of the church's adult basketball team.
"It was very very shocking and attracted a lot of attention. Obviously, the people there considered themselves as family. I didn't even know there was a lot of Filipino-American families there but they were there..they gathered and prayed and it was really shocking as one tries to process everything," Leung added.
With autopsy yet to be completed over the weekend, police has since considered the case as that of suicide-murder, Jose Mari apparently distraught with his recent separation from Filipina wife Mylene. The two marked their 9th year of marriage until the decision reached to separate during the holidays. Jose Mari was also set to be arraigned for a felony charge on January 25th due to a domestic dispute case. He had his two daughters for the New Year with his estranged wife living with relatives in nearby La Puente.
Jade would have turned four next month while Mary Jo would have been six on April.
As investigators continue to find answers on the gruesome deaths, questions still hang on what drove the 38 year-old Jose Mari to commit the crime. Leung shared though that interviews made with family friends and insiders indicate no history of mental illness. Result of the toxicology report has yet to be disclosed as well.
Meantime, support for the family poured in with local church leaders taking lead in the mass and prayers offered to the Dogoldogols.
Leung wrote how Father Anthony Dao in Thursday morning's mass dedicated the rosary to Danilo and Virgie Dogoldogol - Jose Mari Dogoldogol's parents. Both are active members in the parish. Dao and the church, Leung in her report continued, will have a special service once police concludes investigation.
The Dogoldogols trace their roots in Mindanao and Luzon. Jose Mari is said to be a nephew of a high-ranking Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) official.