ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. — Investigators say a man killed his wife, her friend and set their Hunters Creek house on fire this weekend before he killed himself. Detectives are still trying to piece it all together.
The family of Victor and Lissette Baez, and the other woman killed in the home, seem to be just as anxious for answers. But they are still waiting for Orange County deputies to conclude their investigation.
The relatives of the couple were back at their Hunters Creek home on Estrella Drive Monday. They removed photos, documents and even a stuffed toy, presumably for one of the couple's two children. The children were in New York when, deputies believe, their father killed their mother, her friend and then himself.
Deputies think 32-year-old Victor Baez set his home on fire before taking his own life. He and his 29-year-old wife were going through a separation.
"A neighbor heard an alarm, saw or smelled smoke, called FD, got control of the fire. Once inside realized we had three bodies inside," said Jim Solomons, Orange County Sheriff's Department.
Relatives were too grief stricken to speak with WFTV on Monday, but three deaths in the Hunters Creek community on Saturday have had an impact on the entire neighborhood.
"It kind of saddens me to hear something like this happening. You hear about domestic violence happening in the family and it's really kind of tragic," neighbor Laron Hickman said.
Homicide investigators have a tentative ID on the woman found inside the home with the couple, but deputies are still waiting on a positive ID from the medical examiner's office.
However, a group who identified themselves as the woman's relatives did come to claim some of her belongings Monday afternoon, including a suitcase. Off camera, they told WFTV that she worked with Lissette Baez, who was a manager at Doctor Merchant Pediatrics.
"It's really a quiet neighborhood and, something like this here happening, it's shocking," Hickman said.
Relatives in New York said the Baez's children are staying with their grandparents. They've been told very little about what's happened and relatives hope to protect them for as long as they can.
Victor Baez has no criminal history in Florida, but domestic violence experts say this couple is part of a disturbing trend across Orange County. The number of domestic violence murders has doubled over this time last year, with already 12 prior to this incident.
WFTV
