In the quiet community of Gargatha, Virginia, a devastating series of events unfolded, culminating in the tragic death of 10-year-old Jesus Angel Quintero-Colon on December 15, 2011. The young boy was discovered in a mobile home, the victim of a fatal shooting that claimed the lives of four others.
Authorities responding to a call for an attempted suicide at the residence on 6th Street, a remote dirt road, found a scene of immense sorrow.
Inside the trailer, they located the bodies of Jesus, his 9-year-old sister Ana Estefani Quintero-Colon, their 27-year-old mother Evelyn Colon-Matias, and a 20-year-old woman named Zayday Reyes, with whom the family had been temporarily staying. The fifth body was that of 37-year-old Esteban Quintero-Gonzales, the father of the two children.
The investigation by the Accomack County Sheriff's Office led them to believe that the incident was a murder-suicide. It is thought that Esteban Quintero-Gonzales shot and killed his children, their mother, and their housemate before turning the gun on himself. The motive for this horrific act appears to be rooted in a contentious custody dispute with Evelyn Colon-Matias over their two children. The family had been residing with Reyes due to financial difficulties. The investigation into the deaths continued after the initial discovery, though the primary suspect was deceased.
