In a quiet home on East Duchesne Drive in Florissant, Missouri, a devastating scene was discovered on the afternoon of Thursday, March 29, 2018. Police officers, responding to a request for a welfare check, entered the residence to find three members of the Novoa family deceased. The victims were identified as six-year-old Ylianeh Novoa, a female, along with 29-year-old Yolanda Novoa and 31-year-old Giovanni Novoa.
The bodies of all three were found together in one area of the house.
Investigators at the scene recovered a gun and noted that there were no signs of a forced entry into the home, leading them to believe the incident was contained within the family. The investigation determined the tragic event to be a double murder-suicide. Friends of the family confirmed that Giovanni and Yolanda Novoa were a married couple.
Neighbors on the normally peaceful street were shocked by the violence. One neighbor recalled interacting with Yolanda at a yard sale and using the family's lawn care business, expressing that she never would have anticipated such a tragic outcome. In the aftermath of the discovery, authorities did not publicly identify which of the adults was responsible for the shootings. As the perpetrator was among the deceased, there were no arrests or suspects sought in connection with the deaths of Ylianeh and her mother.
