Santa Rosa father who reportedly killed his 2 kids, himself identified
SANTA ROSA, Calif. (KGO) -- A Santa Rosa mother is grieving after losing her two children. Police say they were killed by their own father, who then killed himself. He's been identified as 40-year-old Alvaro Camara.
The bodies were discovered Monday on Slater Street.
Camara was supposed to return the children to their mother Sunday night, but that never happened. Instead, deputies found them in his apartment Monday morning.
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Neighbors say Camara appeared to be a loving father. Separated from his wife, he would bring his children to his Santa Rosa home when it was his turn to have the kids -- a 6-year-old daughter and an 18-month-old son.
"They're really super sweet kids and he seemed like a really good father. He was always playing with them, riding his bike out here with them," neighbor Carrie Buchholz said.
"He just looked at his son with so much love and pride... it's just really sad," another neighbor, who didn't wish to be named, said.
But neighbors say Camara did appear to be on edge in recent days. Sometime between Sunday and Monday morning, police say he killed his two children inside his Slater Street apartment, where he then hanged himself.
Deputies made the discovery by climbing through the bathroom window sometime after 9 a.m.
The children's mother called the sheriff's department Sunday night to report that Camara failed to meet her to hand over the kids.
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"We're still going to be exploring the timeline to determine when the children were last seen and when this tragedy occurred. The mother immediately did report it to the sheriff's department and they immediately began investigating," Santa Rosa Police Dept. Lt. John Cregan said.
The mother is being comforted by loved ones at her Sonoma County home. Law enforcement says she and Camara had a "volatile arrangement."
"He was having a hard time going through the divorce and there were issues with the kids and custody and all that," Buchholz said.
Police say as part of their investigation, they'll be going through court records and the family's history.
Anyone with information regarding the investigation is encouraged to call the Santa Rosa Police Department Violent Crime Investigation Team Sergeant Josh Ludtke at 707-543-3695.
