Esmeralda Casillas, 36, and her mother Ofelia Casillas, 68, were shot and killed on November 18, 2022, in Moreno Valley, California. The shootings occurred during a custody exchange for Esmeralda’s twin 7-year-old sons near Eucalyptus Avenue and Old Highway 215; both women were found with gunshot wounds inside a parked vehicle and died after being taken to a local hospital.

Riverside County Sheriff’s Department identified the children’s father, 39-year-old Salvador Velasquez Jr., as the primary suspect. He was arrested at his Coachella home the next day and charged with two counts of murder; he was being held without bail at the John Benoit Detention Center in Indio. Investigators described the shooting as domestic violence allegedly occurring shortly after the exchange, with the twin boys located unharmed at Velasquez’s home and placed with his parents.

Family members described a history of possessive, controlling behavior and past threats by Velasquez; Esmeralda’s relatives are seeking custody of the children. Does anyone have information about the family or the custody dispute that could help clarify what happened that day?