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Photo by Bill Green
A family photo placed at the memorial on Danielle Drive shows Pedro Rodriguez and Deysi Benitez with three of their children: Elsa Rodriguez, Vanessa Rodriguez and Angel Rodriguez. |
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Frederick -- W.H. Bacon Funeral Home of Washington collected the bodies of Pedro Rodriguez and his four children Wednesday from the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner in Baltimore.Rodriguez's relatives plan to send the bodies to El Salvador for burial, said Wanda Bacon, funeral home owner. A memorial service might be held in Washington before the bodies are transported, but there will not be a viewing, she said. The bodies of Rodriguez, 28, and his children -- Elsa, 9; Vanessa, 4; Angel, 3; and Carena, 1 -- were found March 26 in their townhouse at 1252 Danielle Drive. The three girls died from suffocation and Angel, who was commonly called Pedro, died from blunt force trauma to the head, according to the medical examiner's office. Rodriguez's death was ruled suicide by hanging. Shirl Walker, spokeswoman for the medical examiner, declined to comment on whether Rodriguez and the children suffered any other injuries. She also declined to release the results of Rodriguez's toxicology examination or indicate whether toxicology exams were conducted on the children because of an ongoing criminal investigation. A final report will be completed in four to six weeks and provided to the Frederick Police Department, she said. Deysi Benitez, Rodriguez's wife and the mother of the four children, is missing. Police are investigating several leads and have not said whether they believe the 25-year-old woman is alive or dead. Ana Margarita Chavez, Salvadoran consulate general in Washington, said Rodriguez's relatives hope to send the bodies to El Salvador within the next two days. Two of Rodriguez's brothers traveled from California to Maryland this week to identify the bodies and make funeral arrangements, said Marcelena Rodriguez, Pedro Rodriguez's sister-in-law. Angel Rodriguez, Pedro Rodriguez's brother, said other family members have traveled from the United States to El Salvador to help receive the bodies and attend the funeral. He said funeral details are being determined. Benitez's older sister, Angela Benitez, said her family wants the bodies taken to El Salvador for burial. She hasn't discussed with the Rodriguez family whether he and his children will be buried in Sensuntepeque, where Benitez's family lives, or in La Pozuela, where Rodriguez's parents live. Pedro Rodriguez emigrated from El Salvador about nine years ago. Deysi Benitez and the couple's oldest daughter, Elsa, emigrated in 2001.
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