3 children killed at Gwinnett park identified, police say suspected killer not the father

NORCROSS, Ga. - Gwinnett County police shared new details Wednesday afternoon about the tragic deaths of three children and a man discovered at Lucky Shoals Park. 
Police say the bodies were found inside a parked car during a routine patrol around 1 a.m. Wednesday. An officer noticed a car parked on one of the walking paths and called out to the people inside. When they didn't respond, the officer went to investigate and discovered four bodies inside.

A man was in the driver's seat, and three juveniles, two girls and a boy, were also in the vehicle. At the time, police believed the children to be in elementary or middle school.

Initially, police thought the man in the car, who appeared to have killed the children before killing himself, was the father.

Later in the day, Gwinnett County police reported that the children's mother had been at a local hospital with another child receiving treatment for an unrelated injury. She had permitted the man, who was the father of the child in the hospital, to take the other three children out for a meal. According to police, the mother and the suspect were not in a relationship at the time of the incident and he was not the father of the children killed.

The victims were identified as 13-year-old Arianny Rodriguez, 9-year-old Carlos Rodriguez, and 11-year-old Chadal Rodriguez. The police plan to release the suspect's name after notifying the next of kin.

Anyone with information about the case is encouraged to contact the Gwinnett County Police Department.

For those experiencing a crisis or needing support, assistance is available by calling or texting 988, or by chatting online at 988lifeline.org.