In a tragic turn of events on the night of March 2, 2019, Nathanael Owen Cooper, a 20-year-old male, was found deceased in a Springfield, Virginia home. The residence, located on Cromwell Drive, became the scene of a suspected murder-suicide that claimed three lives in total. At the time of his death, Nathanael was working as a transporter at Inova Fairfax Medical Campus.
Fairfax County Police were called to the house around 11:45 p.m., where they discovered the bodies of Nathanael,
along with 40-year-old Floridalma Youlanda Perez Diaz and 45-year-old Santos Vladimir Ralda. Investigators believe that Ralda fatally shot his wife, Perez Diaz, and Cooper, who was an acquaintance of the couple, following an argument. It is believed that Ralda then turned the gun on himself.
At the time of the incident, there were as many as ten people inside the home, including several children. Fortunately, the other individuals present were not physically harmed. The investigation into the deaths concluded that it was a domestic-related murder-suicide, with Santos Vladimir Ralda identified as the sole suspect. As Ralda died at the scene, no arrests were made in connection with the deaths of Nathanael Owen Cooper and Floridalma Youlanda Perez Diaz.
