The house where a mother and her five children endured unspeakable brutality sat empty one day after deputies and investigators converged on it following a 911 call.
Neighbors heard screams coming from the home, and then a mother and four children came out covered in blood.
The oldest of the five children, 16-year-old Richard Roderiquez, died from his injuries. The rest of the family was taken to the hospital.
Authorities arrested the father of the children, Ian Anthony Roderiquez. Neighbors say he was well known for his temper.
"Everybody I know said they stayed away from him because if you just looked at him, if you met his eyes, he'd get mad," said neighbor Don Pasquini.
The 35-year-old father is facing homicide, attempted murder and torture charges. It's news that left the quiet neighborhood in shock.
Inside the home, there were clear signs of a family trying to make ends meet. There were plastic bottles piled high in corners, and in the backyard, there was an orange tree that had been picked clean. Neighbors said the family used them to get extra money.
"I understand he was unemployed, and I understand when the police went in the house they didn't find a scrap of food in the house," Pasquini said.
A makeshift memorial was placed on the porch of the home. Friends like Joshua Harris stopped by to pay respects. Harris said he attended middle school with Richard Roderiquez.
"He took care of his little brothers and sisters. He always tried to help them get money, stuff like that," he said.
It is still unknown what kind of injuries the victims had.
The two girls are now in the custody of child protective services, the two boys remain hospitalized. The mother of the children, 35-year-old Sujal Roderiquez, also remains hospitalized and is in critical condition.
