HIALEAH, FLA. (WSVN) - Police have identified the two people who were found dead inside a Hialeah apartment in an apparent murder-suicide.
Hialeah Police identified the couple as 27-year-old Clifford Renard Murray III and 27-year-old Rosemary Gutierrez.
Detectives said Clifford shot and killed Rosemary, his girlfriend, and then turned the gun on himself, leaving their 3-year-old son alone and unharmed in the residence.
The toddler wouldn’t be discovered until days later, when police arrived at the home located at 605 West 68th Street in Hialeah to perform a wellness check after receiving a 911 call from the victim’s sister.
Investigators said the victim’s sister hadn’t heard from her in a few days, and that’s when she went to the apartment complex and didn’t get an answer at the door, but was able to hear the boy inside.
“When officers arrived, we had to force our way into the apartment, and once inside, we discovered a deceased male and female. Fortunately, this 3-year-old child was not injured,” said Hialeah Police Lt. Eddie Rodriguez.
The child was evaluated at the scene. Police said he was visibly scared and was found dehydrated, but his vitals signs were stable. He was transported to a local hospital for a routine evaluation.
A neighbor said she heard several shots on Friday going into Saturday.
“Very fast, ‘bam, bam, bam, four shots,” said the neighbor in Spanish.
Police have yet to confirm that timeline.
The tragedy has sent shock waves throughout the community.
“What made me sad was that there was a child. He was dehydrated and doing his needs there with the bodies that were decomposing,” said a neighbor.
“They would say hi to neighbors, but you never know what’s happening behind closed doors,” said a third neighbor.
The property manager told 7News that the family have been great tenants for the past couple of years they resided there and that they were both hardworking people. He also stated that there weren’t any domestic disputes, indications of violence between the two, nor was the police ever called.
7News obtained surveillance videos from the neighbor’s camera that showed clips of the family on the last day they were seen alive.
Neighbors said one hour after, video captured Gutierrez walking into her home, gunshots rang out.
Video shows the family going in and out of the apartment. Days later, that same camera captured first responders wheeling out the bodies of Clifford and Rosemary.
According to police, the Florida Department of Children and Family has the little boy in their custody, and they will determine who gets custody or becomes the child’s sole guardian.
“The only thing we can do for the child right now is to pray that he doesn’t have to remember this day,” said Rodriguez.
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