In the late afternoon of a summer day in Newport News, Virginia, a sense of unease led a man to his aunt's home on Ashton Green Boulevard. He had been trying to reach 45-year-old Natacha Rodriguez-Cruz all day with no success. A neighbor noted that a car door had been left open in the driveway for hours, adding to the growing concern. Peering through a back window, the nephew's worst fears were realized when he saw what appeared to be his aunt lying in a pool of blood, a discovery that prompted
a frantic call to the police.
When officers arrived at the residence on August 22, 2018, they found a tragic scene. Inside the home, both Rodriguez-Cruz and her 41-year-old husband, Marcos Vasquez, a male, were deceased. Both had sustained fatal gunshot wounds and were pronounced dead at the scene shortly before 4:30 p.m.
From the outset, investigators characterized the deaths as a domestic-related incident and assured the public that there was no ongoing danger to the community. This suggested that the authorities were not searching for any external suspects in connection with the shootings. Neighbors in the quiet community, which was home to many retired and military families, expressed their shock, describing the couple as nice people.
In the time since the incident, law enforcement has not publicly announced any arrests or named any suspects in the deaths of Marcos Vasquez and Natacha Rodriguez-Cruz. The investigation was initially reported as ongoing, but further details regarding the specific circumstances of the shootings and the final conclusions of the case have not been released to the public.
