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Frederick — Police are continuing to search for a woman whose husband and four children were found dead in their home Monday afternoon.
Police have no leads on the whereabouts of Deysi Marlene Benitez, 25, according to Lt. Tom Chase of the Frederick Police Department. She has been classified as a missing person, he said.
“She’s been missing for a week and a half and no one has heard from her,” he said.
Court records show that Benitez married Pedro Rodriguez, 28, Oct. 28, 2002 in Frederick County Circuit Court. They had four children — Elsa Rodriguez, 9; Vanessa Rodriguez, 4; Angel Rodriguez, 3, who was commonly called Pedro; and Carena Rodriguez, 1. The bodies of the children were found in beds, covered in blankets in two bedrooms of the family’s townhouse on 1252 Danielle Drive.
Police found the body of Rodriguez hanging from a yellow nylon rope off the stairwell bannister. He did not leave a note, according to Chase.
History of problems
Chase would not say whether police had previously visited the home. However, court records show Benitez once had a man removed from her home for “aggravating” her children.
On Aug. 19, 2003, Benitez called police to her apartment on West Patrick Street to remove Raul Benitez, relation unknown. She told police she wanted him removed because he was using foul language toward her children, was messy and was not paying rent.
Raul Benitez disputed her claim, but was taken into custody and charged with trespassing. He was released on a written promise to appear in court, but was arrested again when he didn’t show up for a court hearing.
Deysi Benitez ultimately posted $500 bail for his release in December 2003.
Police do not believe Benitez used a family vehicle to leave. The family’s three cars — a white Nissan Sentra, a green Dodge Caravan and a burgundy minivan — were parked by the home.
Police have interviewed Benitez’s sister, whose name has not been released. The sister, who lives in Frederick , last spoke to the missing woman about one and a half weeks ago, Chase said. He would not say whether there’s been any recent cell phone or credit card activities on Benitez’s accounts.
Note: The Frederick Police Department is attempting to confirm the name spellings of the children and their mother.
Text of letter sent home to Hillcrest Elementrary School students today (PDF)
Reporter Nancy Hernandez contributed to this story
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