A mother who despatched her youngsters to the Connecticut daycare of a lady accused of killing her personal kids earlier than taking her personal life mentioned Thursday that she was shocked by the triple murder-suicide.
The girl attended a vigil for the slain household outdoors their Danbury dwelling Thursday night time and refused to imagine that Sonia Loja, 36, would strangle her three kids.
“I can’t imagine Sonia did this. I don’t imagine what’s occurred,” Nube Sucuzhanay, 33, instructed The Put up.
“Sonia was a great particular person. She beloved and sorted her youngsters and was good with the children she sorted.”
Sucuzhanay mentioned Loja got here to the US from Ecuador about 15 years in the past. Sucuzhanay trusted Loja along with her personal two kids and enrolled them in her daycare for seven years.
“I used to be very comfy leaving my kids with Sonia,” she mentioned. “[She was] simply so good with kids and so very good.”
Loja ran an unlawful daycare out of her home and instructed the mother and father of roughly 10 youngsters that she couldn’t watch them Wednesday — the day police imagine she killed her personal youngsters, 12-year-old Junior Panjon, 10-year-old Joselyn Panjon and 5-year-old Jonael Panjon. Loja then took her personal life.
Loja reportedly strangled the youngsters one after the other earlier than she hanged herself inside a shed within the yard of her dwelling, police mentioned. Her husband and the daddy of the youngsters, Pedro Panjon, discovered the our bodies when he returned dwelling and fainted on the grisly discovery.
Sucuzhanay was one in all about 50 mourners who gathered outdoors the house Thursday night time for a vigil organized by the world’s massive Ecuadorian neighborhood. The mourners sang hymns, recited prayers and lit candles for greater than an hour.
They created a makeshift memorial for the slain kids by putting prayer candles, flowers, white balloons and a teddy bear on the house’s entrance steps.
A younger attendee who went to Saint Peter College with Joselyn from kindergarten to 3rd grade mentioned her late classmate was fiercely clever and sort.
“Joselyn was a really sensible, artistic and useful particular person,” mentioned Katelyn Jimenez, 11. “Joselyn was all the time there once you wanted her. She would consolation anybody going by way of a troublesome time.”
Katelyn mentioned Joselyn excelled in math and helped her when she was fighting math equations.
“To me, it appeared like she lived a great life,” Katelyn mentioned. “She was very optimistic. She was nice at artwork and music, however she was additionally very sensible at math.”
“I’m feeling unhappy,” she added. “She was a great classmate and buddy.”
Tomas Vega, 31, was among the many many mourners who felt compelled to affix the vigil in help of the household, regardless of not realizing Loja or her kids personally.
Vega, a father of two, couldn’t comprehend Loja’s violent final act.
“What would make you kill your self and take the lives of your three youngsters?” Vega requested in disbelief. “Think about seeing your first child useless, then the subsequent one, then the third one. One thing actually dangerous will need to have occurred.”
If you're fighting suicidal ideas or are experiencing a psychological well being disaster and reside in New York Metropolis, you'll be able to name 1-888-NYC-WELL at no cost and confidential disaster counseling. Should you reside outdoors the 5 boroughs, you'll be able to dial the 24/7 Nationwide Suicide Prevention hotline at 1-800-273-8255 or go to SuicidePreventionLifeline.org.
Post a Comment