A fourth child, her 8-month-old daughter, was rescued by the woman’s sister and survived, Parker County Sheriff Larry Fowler said. Authorities did not immediately identify the dead children, ages 5, 3 and 2.

“It’s horrendous. That’s all I can say,” Fowler said. All, including the 8-month-old, had been hanged with strips of clothing and sashes, he said.

The woman was identified as Gilberta Estrada, 25. The infant, Evelyn Frayre, was in good condition at a hospital, Fowler said. Authorities did not immediately identify the other children, ages 5, 3 and 2.

After Estrada failed to show up for work, her sister, who lived nearby, forced her way into the locked residence in the Oak Hills mobile home park, about 25 miles (40 kilometers) west of Fort Worth in this rural community of 1,600 people.

The sheriff said the sister rescued the infant when she realized the baby girl was still alive.

The hangings appeared to be murder-suicide because the trailer’s doors were locked from the inside and a relative said the woman had been depressed, Fowler said.

He said Estrada had won a temporary restraining order in August 2006 against Gregorio Frayre Rodriguez, believed to be the father of the infant and some of the other children, after an attack on Estrada.

The couple had stopped living together in February, Fowler said. Tuesday was the first emergency police call to Estrada’s trailer, and Fowler said there was no evidence that Rodriguez abused the girls.

Attempts to reach Rodriguez were not immediately successful.

Child Protective Services will decide who takes custody of the baby, Fowler said.

Estrada and her girls were last seen alive Monday evening, he said.

“I just got a big kick out of watching the kids play over there on her porch, and today it’s sad, very sad,” said neighbor Joyce Harris.

Subscribe to The China Post and save.  Click hereSharePrintEmail

Write a Comment

Enter your comments - 800 characters max

Receive China Post promos

Respond to this email