A family has been left devastated after a violent husband shot dead his young wife and two children in their Texas home.
Police were called to the 3600 block of NE 14th Avenue in Amarillo early Saturday night after a family member found the bodies of Jose Olmos, his wife Jessica, 33, and their children Jazele and Daniel.
The 42-year-old electrician had been arrested by Amarillo police on May 19 on charges of assaulting a family member, but returned to the family home after being released on $500 bail.
Investigators believe Olmos killed himself and his family in a murder-suicide and the mugshot taken at the time of his arrest reveals scratch marks on the suspected killer’s neck.
“Oh, Jessica Olmos! I’m so sorry I couldn’t help you through this,” family friend Clara Nunez wrote on Facebook.
Jose Olmos, 42, with Jazele and Daniel, the children he is suspected of killing before committing suicide at the family home in Amarillo on Saturday night.
The body of the children’s mother, Jessica Olmos, 33, was also found by a horrified relative.
Jazale and Daniel are amazing kids. I promise I will do everything in my power to make sure they are remembered forever. It doesn’t end here, I promise!
The couple, who celebrated their 10th wedding anniversary on July 4, had lived at the Olmos address since their marriage.
Jessica worked as an office manager for Jeff Bara’s State Farm Agency in town, and her seventh-grade daughter was an avid wrestler.
Just months earlier, the family had posed for a seemingly idyllic photo shoot in the fields near their home, and photographer Anna Vega spoke of her shock at their violent deaths.
“I am so devastated by the news this morning,” she wrote when posting the photos on Facebook.
‘I told you while you were here, but Jessica, it was an absolute honor to have worked with you and your beautiful children.
‘Jazele and Daniel were so sweet, I can still imagine them laughing when Daniel jumped on their back.
“In such a morbid world, I posted these photos so people could see a small glimpse of the bright light that you all were and not just the final moments that took you all away.”
Jessica had lost her younger sister in February of last year, and the troubled couple joined the rest of their family to celebrate Mother’s Day with their mother Blanca Menendez just six days before Olmos’ arrest for domestic violence in May of this year.
The deaths occurred less than four months after Olmos was released on $500 bail following his release on domestic abuse charges.
Jessica’s stepdaughter, Arianna Olmos, deliberately omitted the father when paying a moving tribute to her slain family.
“When I was told that three of the kindest souls I knew had earned their angel wings, my heart sank and broke into pieces,” the West Texas A&M University student wrote.
‘You three were loved by everyone around you and will be missed.
‘Jazale, my baby, I’m going to miss that smile of yours, your laugh, and your silly faces.
‘Daniel, I will miss your smile and your love of cars.
Jessica, I was grateful to have someone like you as a stepmom who still showed me love and cared for me.
“I’m thankful that God put you and the kids in my life. I can’t put into words how hurt I am.”