Luis Toledo admits killing wife Yessenia Suarez,28,but NOT the children.Bodies STILL Not Recovered~Toledo Charged w/2nd Degree Murder. Now charged w/killing the 2 children on 1/16/14. Florida is seeking the Death Penalty.

Posted: Oct 23, 2013 6:06 PM EDT
Updated: Oct 23, 2013 10:52 PM EDT

Luis Toledo, 31, has been arrested on a domestic battery charge.

Michael Otto, 8 (left), and Thalia Otto, 9.

DELTONA, Fla. (WOFL FOX 35 ORLANDO) -
The Volusia County Sheriff's Office is seeking the public's help in locating a mother and her two children who are considered "missing and endangered under suspicious circumstances."



A family member called the Sheriff's Office Wednesday morning and asked for deputies to conduct a well-being check on 28-year-old Yessenia Suarez, of Deltona.

"We're hoping that this will be a better outcome at the end, because we really miss her and we haven't heard from her," said Ruben Perez, the father of Suarez.  "Every morning, she calls my wife, and they make contact every morning before 8 o'clock in the morning and when my wife didn't receive a call, my wife decided to come over here, because she called the school and the kids hadn't gone to school either."

A spokesman with the Sheriff's Office said that Suarez had been the victim of domestic violence in Lake Mary on Tuesday, but the suspect, husband Luis Toledo, 31, fled before Lake Mary police officers arrived.

When Volusia Sheriff's deputies responded to the Deltona address to conduct the well being check Wednesday, Suarez and her children were not there. Toledo did arrive at the house a short time later and he was subsequently arrested based on Lake Mary Police Department's battery charge from the previous day.

Deputies say Toledo is not the father of the two missing children.  Family members say that he and suarez have been married for two years.

Toledo was booked into the Volusia County Branch Jail in Daytona Beach and is being held without bond.

Suarez is Hispanic, stand 5 feet, 3 inches tall and weighs 130 pounds. She has black hair and brown eyes. Her children are 8-year-old Michael Otto and 9-year-old Thalia Otto.

"I'm praying that the best outcome possible will happen," Perez said.  "I told my wife, we're not going to lose hope.  That's the last thing that we're going to lose, is our hope, because we're hoping that she will appear."

Anyone with information about Suarez or her children is asked to call the Sheriff's Office at (386) 736-5999 or 911 if there is an emergency.

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Posted: 12:20 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 24, 2013

Grandmother of missing kids

DELTONA, Fla. — The family of a missing woman spoke at a news conference Thursday.
The Volusia County Sheriff's Office is seeking the public's help in locating a mother and her two children who are considered missing and endangered under suspicious circumstances.

The woman's mother called the Sheriff's Office Wednesday morning and asked for deputies to conduct a well-being check on 28-year-old Yessenia Suarez at her Covent Gardens Place home in Deltona.
"Please, if anyone see my grandchildren, please and my daughter,  turn them to me please. If anyone see my grandparents and my daughter please," said Suarez's mother.
On Thursday, Suarez's husband, Luis Toledo, was named a person of interest in the case.
When Volusia sheriff's deputies responded to the Deltona address on Wednesday, Suarez and her children, 8-year-old Michael Otto and 9-year-old Thalia Otto, were not there.
Her family is trying to hold it together as they wait for word about where Suarez and her two children may be.
"We don't know what to think. We're waiting to see if she calls or appears. We don't want to think the worst," said family member Jose Velazquez. "They are worried. Her mom is crying a lot."
Authorities are calling the disappearance suspicious because they said Suarez had been the victim of domestic violence in Lake Mary on Tuesday.
Her family said the three went missing just hours after Toledo, 31, showed up at Suarez's job in Lake Mary and beat her up.
Toledo fled before Lake Mary police officers had arrived on the scene.

Authorities said Toledo arrived at the house a short time later and was subsequently arrested based on Lake Mary Police Department's battery charge from the previous day. He was booked into the Volusia County Jail in Daytona Beach.

"They've been arguing for the past two weeks," Brandon Haught with the Volusia County Sheriff's Office said. "After a domestic violence situation, and then to be out of contact with your own family for quite a while, does raise those suspicions."
Anyone with information about Suarez and her children is asked to call the Sheriff's Office at 386-736-5999.

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Posted: 5:01 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 24, 2013
Still no sign of missing woman, kids; Husband named person of interest

DELTONA, Fla. — The Volusia County Sheriff's Office is seeking the public's help in locating a mother and her two children who are considered missing and endangered under suspicious circumstances.
On Thursday, Yessenia Suarez's family spoke at a news conference begging for her and the children's safe return.

"Please, if anyone see my grandchildren, please, and my daughter, turn them to me, please. If anyone see my grandparents and my daughter, please," said Suarez's mother, Felicia Perez.

Channel 9 has learned Suarez's husband, Luis Toledo, 31, was named a person of interest in the case.

Perez called the Sheriff's Office on Wednesday morning and asked for deputies to conduct a well-being check on the 28-year-old at her Covent Gardens Place home in Deltona. When Volusia sheriff's deputies responded to the Deltona address, Suarez and her children, 8-year-old Michael Otto and 9-year-old Thalia Otto, were not there.

A vigil for Suarez is set for 6:30 p.m. at Knowles Memorial Chapel on the Rollins College campus.

On Thursday, investigators from Volusia County crossed jurisdictions to pull potential evidence out of a set of dumpsters in Sanford.
Family members said the last time Yessenia's family saw her was Tuesday evening. They have called her cellphone, but said it goes straight to voice mail.

Authorities said one of Yessenia's two vehicles was found by Lake Mary police at a Publix parking lot, but there was no sign of her or her children.

Yessenia's family is trying to hold it together as they wait for word about where Suarez and her two children may be.

"We don't know what to think. We're waiting to see if she calls or appears. We don't want to think the worst," said family member Jose Velazquez. "They are worried. Her mom is crying a lot."

Authorities are calling the disappearance suspicious because they said Suarez, a former worker and current student at Rollins College, had been the victim of domestic violence in Lake Mary on Tuesday.
Channel 9 has learned Toledo and Suarez had been talking about separating and that Toledo was angry over some text messages he found on his wife's phone.
That's when he showed up at American K-9 Detection Services, where he confronted Suarez and allegedly slapped her.
Witnesses said Toledo was calm when he left the business Tuesday but when investigators told him over the phone that he could face charges for slapping his wife, they said Toledo got angry and hung up on them.
Suarez's family said the three went missing just hours later.
Authorities said Toledo arrived at the house a short time later and was subsequently arrested based on Lake Mary Police Department's battery charge from the previous day.
He was booked into the Volusia County Jail in Daytona Beach.
"They've been arguing for the past two weeks," Brandon Haught with the Volusia County Sheriff's Office said. "After a domestic violence situation, and then to be out of contact with your own family for quite a while, does raise those suspicions."[/b]
@KRayWFTV
"It's really hitting hard and for me and my wife it's been a nightmare and this nightmare hasn't ended," said Ruben Perez, Suarez's stepfather.

"I'm reaching out for the community to please, if you guys see her, see the kids, reach out, find it in your heart to call, because as you can see we're very, very distressed and we just ask for your help," Perez said.
Reporter Karla Ray found Toldeo had ties to the notorious Latin Kings gang, which is known across the country for violent crime, authorities said.

Channel 9 learned Toledo was arrested on attempted murder charges 13 years ago, but those charges were eventually dropped before he went to trial.

Toledo was accused of luring a woman to the South Orange County apartment complex near Orange Blossom Trail, where she told investigator she saw three unknown men approaching her, one carrying a baseball bat.

The woman said the men had bandanas covering their faces and that they started to beat her up while Toledo repeated, "You set me up."
The 39-year-old victim told investigators at the time she noticed a plastic bag in the back pocket of Toledo's pants. She said it was later put over her head as she was being beaten.
The victim went on to say she felt a cord wrapped around her neck and that she had to tear through the bag to breathe.

Anyone with information about Suarez and her children is asked to call the Sheriff's Office at 386-736-5999.

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WESH 2 News ‏@WESH 19s
Deputies: Missing mother and children are dead. Latest here: [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]
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WFTV Eyewitness News ‏@WFTV 51s
BREAKING: #Missingmom Yessenia Suarez and her two young children who vanished are presumed dead, officials say.

Yessenia Suarez, 2 children missing from Deltona home

UPDATED 6:06 PM EDT Oct 24, 2013

DELTONA, Fla. —A mother and her two children who haven’t been seen since Tuesday are dead, according to the Volusia County Sheriff's Office.

Yessenia Suarez, 28, her 8-year-old son, Michael Otto, and 9-year-old daughter, Thalia Otto are missing from their Deltona home and authorities say they could be in danger.

The mother, Yessenia Suarez, 28, her 8-year-old son, Yessenia Suarez, and 9-year-old daughter, Thalia Otto, were not at their home on Covent Gardens Place in Deltona when deputies arrived for a well-being check.

According to deputies, a family member of Suarez called and asked for the well-being check Wednesday morning.

A family member said Toledo had shown up at her place of work in Lake Mary on Tuesday and hit her, and that Suarez was afraid of Toledo.

Authorities obtained a search warrant Wednesday night and were taking photographs and video inside the home in hopes of uncovering evidence that could explain their disappearance.

Watch: Toledo has extensive criminal record

Shortly after deputies arrived at the home Wednesday, they said Toledo showed up.

"A few minutes after being on scene, Mr. Toledo came on scene and started talking to deputies and causing a bit of a disturbance," said Volusia County Sheriff's Office spokesman Brandon Haught. "We found out he had charges pending on him from Lake Mary, and we asked Lake Mary if they would like to come arrest him, and they did so."

Officials wouldn't rule out that Suarez and her children went into hiding, but they said they're concerned because it was her family that sought the well-being check.

"It's really hitting hard for me and my wife, it's a nightmare," said Suarez' father Ruben Perez. "This nightmare hasn't ended. We are hoping this nightmare ends with her coming home with the kids."

The family is certain Toledo knows what happened to Suarez and her children.

"Luis, please say where you put my daughter and grandkids. Please, you know I was nice to you," said Felicia Perez.

Suarez has two vehicles registered to her name. One was found in the driveway of her home, while the other was found in the parking lot of a Publix store in Lake Mary.

Toledo was arrested on a domestic violence charge and taken to the Volusia County Jail, where investigators said they were questioning him about his wife's whereabouts. He was expected to face a judge Thursday afternoon, but his appearance was delayed because officials said he is starting to cooperate.

Toledo has an extensive criminal history, including several counts of aggravated assault, aggravated battery and one count of shooting into an occupied dwelling between 1997 and 1999. However, those charges were dropped.

He served a year in prison for a burglary in Orange County.

In 2000, he was charged with attempted second-degree murder and kidnapping in Orange County, but the case was dismissed before going to trial.

In June 2012, a woman requested a temporary injunction against him, claiming he sent her a series of text messages threatening to hurt her and take her children.

The Florida Department of Law Enforcement officially issued a missing child alert for the two children on Thursday morning.

Anyone with information is asked to call the Volusia County Sheriff's Office at 386-254-1535.

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DELTONA, Fla. — A family of a Deltona mother and her two children received news they had feared. Authorities in Volusia County said Yessenia Suarez and her children, 8-year-old Michael Otto and 9-year-old Thalia Otto, were dead.

The Sheriff's Office said the search for the victims' bodies and the investigation into their deaths is still ongoing.

Suarez's family told WFTV that detectives told them her husband, Luis Toledo, confessed to killing the three, but detectives would not confirm that.

Toledo, 31, was named a person of interest in the case, but authorities said no charges have been filed.

Perez called the Sheriff's Office on Wednesday morning and asked for deputies to conduct a well-being check on the 28-year-old at her Covent Gardens Place home in Deltona. When Volusia sheriff's deputies responded to the Deltona address, Suarez and her children were not there.

On Thursday, investigators from Volusia County crossed jurisdictions to pull potential evidence out of a set of dumpsters in Sanford.

Family members said the last time Yessenia's family had seen her was Tuesday evening. They called her cellphone, but said it went straight to voicemail.

Authorities said one of Yessenia's two vehicles was found by Lake Mary police at a Publix parking lot, but there was no sign of her or her children.

Authorities are calling the disappearance suspicious because they said Suarez, a former worker and current student at Rollins College, had been the victim of domestic violence in Lake Mary on Tuesday.

WFTV found out Toledo and Suarez had been talking about separating and that Toledo was angry over some text messages he found on his wife's phone.

That's when he showed up at American K-9 Detection Services, where he confronted Suarez and allegedly slapped her.

Witnesses said Toledo was calm when he left the business Tuesday. But when investigators told him over the phone that he could face charges for slapping his wife, they said Toledo got angry and hung up on them.

Suarez's family said the three went missing just hours later.

Authorities said Toledo arrived at the house a short time later and was subsequently arrested based on Lake Mary Police Department's battery charge from the previous day. He was booked into the Volusia County Jail in Daytona Beach.

"They've been arguing for the past two weeks," Brandon Haught with the Volusia County Sheriff's Office said. "After a domestic violence situation, and then to be out of contact with your own family for quite a while, does raise those suspicions."

WFTV reporter Karla Ray found Toledo had ties to the notorious Latin Kings gang, which is known across the country for violent crime, authorities said.

Ray found out that Toledo was arrested on attempted murder charges 13 years ago, but those charges were eventually dropped before he went to trial.

Toledo was accused of luring a woman to a South Orange County apartment complex near Orange Blossom Trail, where she told investigators she saw three unknown men approaching her, one carrying a baseball bat. The woman said the men had bandanas covering their faces and that they started to beat her up while Toledo repeated, "You set me up."

The 39-year-old victim told investigators at the time she noticed a plastic bag in the back pocket of Toledo's pants. She said it was later put over her head as she was being beaten. The victim went on to say she felt a cord wrapped around her neck and that she had to tear through the bag to breathe.

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WOW!! He admits to killing them but won't tell the investigators where they are??

By Arelis R. Hernández, Rene Stutzman and Jerriann Sullivan, Orlando Sentinel
11:42 a.m. EDT, October 25, 2013

The search for the bodies of the dead Deltona mother and her two children continues today.

The Volusia County Sheriff's Office said Yessenia Suarez, 28, and her two children - Thalia Otto, 9, and Michael Otto, 8 – are dead but would not reveal how they learned that the mother and children had died, saying they didn't want to share any information that might jeopardize their investigation.

The Volusia County Sheriff's Office would not comment on the conflicting reports.

"It's a very sensitive investigation," sheriff's spokesman Brandon Haught said. "We've been following leads wherever they may take us."

Deputies with the Seminole County Sheriff's Office searched a stretch of Lake Mary Boulevard yesterday and last night but without success, the agency reported.

Relatives and friends shuffled in and out of the house on Paddington Place Thursday, pressing cell phones to their faces to inform others of the tragedy. Some spoke in whispers. Others wailed.

Suarez's husband was arrested Wednesday on a domestic-violence battery charge. Luis Toledo, 31, became upset about text messages that he found on Suarez's phone and went to her office Tuesday at American K-9 Detection Services on Primera Boulevard to tell a manager about "her indiscretions," an arrest report states.

He got into an argument with Suarez and slapped her, leaving a red mark on her cheek, according to the report.

That was the last time anyone at work saw Suarez, a company spokesman said.

Deputies called Toledo a "person of interest" in the deaths and were interviewing him. He acknowledged arguing with his wife but denied hitting her, deputies said.

Toledo is a former gang member who was arrested for attempted murder in Orange County in 2000,
accused of trying to strangle a woman, according to his arrest report.

Prosecutors later abandoned the case, however, but here is what the victim told deputies and what Toledo admitted to, according to his arrest report:

On Halloween night 2000, when Toledo was 18, he lured a woman whom he accused of betraying him to a dark area, and he and three other gang members overpowered her, beat her with an aluminum baseball bat then put a plastic bag over her head.

"She felt like she was being strangled," according to the report.

She tore the bag open and escaped, the report said.

Deputies interviewed Toledo, who confessed. He said he was the one who put the plastic bag in place and that the woman deserved what she got, the report said.

In the Volusia County case, Suarez's family told investigators that she and her husband had been talking about separating. Records show they were married on New Year's Day 2011.

Toledo's sister-in-law, Kimberly LaSanta, sought a domestic-violence injunction against Toledo last year after he sent more than 50 threatening text and voicemail messages to her in two days, according to court records.

Lasanta had just served Toledo's brother with divorce papers when she began receiving the threats, according to her court petition.

"He has threatened to take my kids, send someone to come in my house and hurt me," LaSanta wrote. "He threatened to put me in jail and hurt me. I have saved all 54 text messages for the judge to see. I am in fear of this man."

A judge rejected her request.

Earlier Thursday, Perez told reporters at his home that he had not seen his daughter or her children since Tuesday. Deputies began looking for the mother and children after relatives raised alarm at not hearing from Suarez.

"She wouldn't just take off like that," Perez said.

His wife, Felicita Perez, was in tears. "My heart is broken," she said.

The parents would not comment after the Sheriff's Office announced the deaths.

Deputies went to check on Suarez at her Covent Gardens Place home Wednesday morning. They took Toledo into custody when he arrived a short time later.

One of Suarez's cars was in the driveway. Deputies found the other, a 2013 Honda Accord, Wednesday afternoon in the parking lot of a Publix in Lake Mary.

Thursday night, crime-scene tape cordoned off several houses on her block.

Suarez was close to completing a degree in human resources at Rollins College and had been at her job for about a year, friend Damarys Rodriguez said.

"She's just smart and ambitious," Rodriguez said before news of the deaths was announced.

Perez's voice cracked when he described his grandchildren leaving him a gift — six pieces of candy corn — on his desk during the weekend. He begged Toledo to cooperate with investigators.

"Luis, if you can help, please help," he said. "Keep your eyes open and please look for them. … Life is not the same without them."

Toledo's relatives could not be reached for comment.

He was being held without bail at the Volusia County Branch Jail in Daytona Beach.

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Posted: 2:53 p.m. Friday, Oct. 25, 2013
Deputies search for bodies of Deltona woman, 2 kids

DELTONA, Fla. — Volusia County Sheriff's investigators are searching for the bodies of a Deltona woman and her two young children believed who are believed dead after disappearing Tuesday night.

Sheriff's spokesman Gary Davidson confirmed that Yessenia Suarez and her children -- 8-year-old Michael Otto and 9-year-old Thalia Otto -- are dead but they did not release any additional information.

Suarez's husband, Luis Toledo, 31, has been named a person of interest in the case and is being questioned by authorities, but no charges have been filed. (I do not get this..he confessed. WTH??)

Suarez's family told WFTV that detectives told them Toledo confessed to killing the three, but detectives would not confirm that.

Suarez's father, Emilio Suarez, talked to WFTV on Friday and said he had a different take than the rest of the family. Emilio Suarez said he's holding out hope that they're alive until he gets proof that they are deceased.

"I've been praying a lot, and I'm hoping my daughter is with my grandkids. So we don't have that much information from the police. Yesterday, I spoke with a couple of deputies, can't say names because that will interfere with the investigation. But they got a lot of stuff like that. But so far, they haven't found nothing," he said.

On Wednesday morning, family members called the Sheriff's Office and asked for deputies to conduct a well-being check on the 28-year-old mother at her Covent Gardens Place home in Deltona. But when Volusia sheriff's deputies responded to the Deltona address, Suarez and her children weren’t there.

On Thursday, investigators from Volusia County crossed jurisdictions to pull potential evidence out of a set of dumpsters in Sanford.

Authorities said one of Yessenia's two vehicles was found by Lake Mary police at a Publix parking lot, but there was no sign of her or her children.

Authorities are calling the disappearance suspicious because Suarez had been the victim of domestic violence in Lake Mary on Tuesday.

WFTV learned Toledo and Suarez had been talking about separating and that Toledo was angry over some text messages he found on his wife's phone. That's when he showed up at American K-9 Detection Services, (Wish those canines would have eaten this idiot alive!!) where he confronted Suarez and allegedly slapped her, authorities said.

Witnesses said Toledo was calm when he left the business Tuesday. But when investigators told him over the phone that he could face charges for slapping his wife, they said Toledo got angry and hung up on them.

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Posted: 1:05 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 26, 2013

DELTONA, Fla. — The husband of a missing mother, who investigators said is dead, attempted to commit suicide while in custody Saturday morning, according to the Volusia County Sheriff's Office.

Luis Toledo, 31, is the sole person of interest in the disappearnce of his wife, Yessenia Suarez, and her two children. Investigators announced Thursday that Suarez and the children are dead, but their bodies have not been found.

Toledo was in custody and being questioned Saturday morning when he asked to use the bathroom. Sheriff's Office officials said Toledo was guarded by a deputy but forced the doorway closed, smashed his head on the mirror and tried use pieces of the mirror to cut himself.
Deputies said he was quickly secured and had to be taken to Halifax Health Medical Center to be treated for cuts, which are non-life-threatening.

Meanwhile, the search continues for the bodies Saurez and her two young children, who disappeared Tuesday night. Sheriff's spokesman Gary Davidson confirmed that Suarez and her children -- 8-year-old Michael Otto and 9-year-old Thalia Otto -- are dead, but they have not released any additional information.

Skywitness 9 HD was over a landfill in Geneva Friday afternoon where investigators bagged up items. Authorities would not confirm whether the search was related to the disappearance.

Toledo, 31, has been continuously questioned by authorities since being taken into custody. No charges have been filed in connection with the disappearances.

Suarez's family told WFTV that detectives told them Toledo confessed to killing the three, but officials would not confirm that.

Suarez's father, Emilio Suarez, talked to WFTV on Friday and said he's holding out hope that they're alive until he gets proof that they are deceased.

"I've been praying a lot and I'm hoping my daughter is with my grandkids. So we don't have that much information from the police. Yesterday I spoke with a couple of deputies, can't say names because that will interfere with the investigation. But they got a lot of stuff like that. But so far, they haven't found nothing," he said.

On Wednesday morning family members called the Sheriff's Office and asked for deputies to conduct a well-being check on the 28-year-old mother at her Covent Gardens Place home in Deltona. But when Volusia sheriff's deputies responded to the Deltona address, Suarez and her children weren't there.

On Thursday investigators from Volusia County crossed jurisdictions to pull potential evidence out of a set of dumpsters in Sanford.

Authorities said one of Yessenia's two vehicles was found by Lake Mary police at a Publix parking lot, but there was no sign of her or her children.

Suarez had been the victim of domestic violence in Lake Mary on Tuesday, before her disappearnce. WFTV learned Toledo and Suarez had been talking about separating and that Toledo was angry about some text messages he found on his wife's phone. He showed up at American K-9 Detection Services, where he confronted Suarez and allegedly slapped her, authorities said.

Witnesses said Toledo was calm when he left the business Tuesday. But when investigators told him over the phone that he could face charges for slapping his wife, they said Toledo got angry and hung up on them.

Suarez's family said the three went missing just hours later. Toledo was subsequently arrested based on Lake Mary Police Department's battery charge from the previous day. He was booked into the Volusia County Jail in Daytona Beach.

Toledo appeared in court on Friday in connection with the domestic charge and was denied bond.

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YUP~~ Cannot believe they haven't charged this dude. This is HUGE here!!

Posted: 6:53 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 27, 2013
Search for bodies of Deltona mother, children continues

DELTONA, Fla. — The search for the bodies of a Volusia County mother and her two children entered its fifth day on Sunday, while the sole person of interest in the case is back in jail after attempting suicide.

Authorities have been searching for 28-year-old Yessenia Suarez and her two children, 8-year-old Michael Otto and 9-year-old Thalia Otto, since they disappeared Wednesday. On Thursday investigators announced the mother and children are dead, but their bodies have yet to be located.

Luis Toledo, 31, is the husband of Suarez and sole person of interest in the case. He has been in custody in Volusia County on a domestic battery charge since Wednesday. No charges have been filed in connection with the disappearances.  

According to authorities, Toledo was being questioned Saturday morning when he asked to use the bathroom. Officials said Toledo was guarded by a deputy but forced the doorway closed, smashed his head on the mirror and tried use pieces of the mirror to cut himself.
Deputies said he was quickly secured and had to be taken to Halifax Health Medical Center to be treated for cuts, which were non-life-threatening. Toledo has been released from the hospital and is back in the jail, officials said.

Meanwhile, the search continued on Sunday for the victim's bodies. A spokesman for the Volusia County Sheriff's Office said they were searching outside of the county, but no further details are being released.

WFTV was there Thursday as investigators pulled potential evidence out of a set of dumpsters in Sanford. The next day Skywitness 9 HD flew over a landfill in Geneva where investigators were bagging up several items. Authorities would not confirm whether the searches were related to the disappearances.

Suarez's family told Eyewitness News that detectives told them Toledo confessed to killing the three, but law enforcement officials will not confirm that.

Suarez's father, Emilio Suarez, said he's holding out hope that his daughter and grandchildren are still alive.
"I've been praying a lot and I'm hoping my daughter is with my grandkids. So we don't have that much information from the police. Yesterday I spoke with a couple of deputies, can't say names because that will interfere with the investigation. But so far, they haven't found nothing," he said.
The search for the mother and children started Wednesday after family members called the Sheriff's Office and asked for a well-being check on Suarez at her Covent Gardens Place home in Deltona. But when deputies responded to the Deltona address, Suarez and her children weren't there.
Lake Mary police found one of Suarez's two vehicles at a Publix parking lot, but there was no sign of her or her children, deputies said.
Suarez was the victim of domestic violence involving Toledo on Tuesday in Lake Mary. WFTV learned Toledo and Suarez had been talking about separating and that Toledo was angry about some text messages he found on his wife's phone. He showed up Suarez's Lake Mary workplace, where he confronted and allegedly slapped her, according to investigators. (Were there witnesses to Yessenia being slapped? And, Where oh Where is the bio dad??)

Suarez's family said the three went missing just hours after the incident. Toledo was later found and arrested for a domestic battery charge out of Lake Mary.

A judge denied bond for Toledo when he appeared in court on Friday. He remains at the Volusia County Jail.

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Posted: 11:24 p.m. Monday, Oct. 28, 2013


DELTONA, Fla. — The Volusia County Sheriff's Office said it charged a man with second-degree murder in the death of his wife.

Deputies announced the murder charges against Luis Toledo, a suspect in the case of missing 28-year-old Yessenia Suarez and her two children, 8-year-old Michael Otto and 9-year-old Thalia Otto. The three disappeared Wednesday, Oct. 23.

Toledo admitted that while arguing with Suarez on Oct. 22, he hit her in the throat with his open hand and she died from the blow.

Deputies said they found blood in the house.

Toledo still hasn't said where her body is.

Toledo has denied killing the children and has implicated someone else in their deaths.

No charges have been filed yet related to Suarez' two children.

While deputies were at the house, Toledo drove up in a silver Saturn, according to a release.

He claimed he slept in his car after he got into a fight with Yessenia Tuesday night. When he woke up, he said his wife and her children were gone.

A neighbor said Toledo asked him for help dropping off his wife's black Honda at 6 a.m. on Wednesday. He agreed and followed behind Toledo in his wife's black Honda. They then drove back together in the Saturn, according to a release.  

Sheriff's investigators met with Suarez' family Monday evening to tell them about the arrest.

Toledo is being held without bond at the Volusia County Branch Jail in Daytona Beach.

While the search for the bodies of the Volusia County mother and her two children was put on hold, family members said they began their own.

Investigators said they were going to look over their notes while they decide Monday how best to continue the search, according to the Volusia County Sheriff's Office.

On Thursday, investigators announced the mother and children are dead, but their bodies have yet to be located.

Family member said they're frustrated with the lack of answers in the disappearance of their loved ones is what motivated them.

"We'll go out there and start our search because we're pretty much frustrated with the Sheriff's Office. We haven't heard anything in 36 hours," Ruben Perez, the victim's stepfather said.  

"I do have a feeling (Yessenia) is gone. I do have that feeling. But I hope my grandkids, I feel like my grandkids are alive," said Suarez's mother Felicia Perez on Monday.

Luis Toledo, 31, is Suarez's husband and sole person of interest in the case. He has been in custody in Volusia County on a domestic battery charge since Wednesday.

Yessenia's mother and stepfather spoke publicly for the second time, asking the public not to forget about her, Michael Otto and Thalia Otto.

"I'm getting devastated already. This morning I woke up like, 'I can't. I can't anymore. I need to find my daughter, my grandkids," mother Felicia Perez said.

Investigators said Toledo tried to kill himself over the weekend but is still cooperating. B to the S!! If he were 'cooperating, he'd tell the authorities what he did with them b/c unfortunately, I believe they are all dead..This does NOT spell 'cooperating".

According to authorities, Toledo was being questioned Saturday morning when he asked to use the bathroom.

Officials said Toledo was guarded by a deputy but forced the doorway closed, smashed his head on the mirror and tried to use pieces of the mirror to cut himself.

Deputies said he was quickly secured and had to be taken to Halifax Health Medical Center to be treated for cuts, which were non-life-threatening. Toledo has been released from the hospital and is back in the jail, officials said.

Meanwhile, the search continued on Sunday for the victims' bodies. A spokesman for the Volusia County Sheriff's Office said they were searching outside of the county, but no further details are being released.

WFTV was there Thursday as investigators pulled potential evidence out of a set of dumpsters in Sanford. The next day, Skywitness 9 HD flew over a landfill in Geneva where investigators were bagging up several items. Authorities would not confirm whether the searches were related to the disappearances.

Suarez's family told Eyewitness News that detectives told them Toledo confessed to killing the three, but law enforcement officials will not confirm that.       

Suarez's father, Emilio Suarez, said he had been holding out hope that his daughter and grandchildren were still alive.

"I've been praying a lot and I'm hoping my daughter is with my grandkids, so we don't have that much information from the police. Yesterday I spoke with a couple of deputies, can't say names because that will interfere with the investigation, but so far, they haven't found nothing," he said.

The search for the mother and children started Wednesday after family members called the Sheriff's Office and asked for a well-being check on Suarez at her Covent Gardens Place home in Deltona. But when deputies responded to the Deltona address, Suarez and her children weren't there.

Lake Mary police found one of Suarez's two vehicles at a Publix parking lot, but there was no sign of her or her children, deputies said.

Suarez was the victim of domestic violence involving Toledo on Tuesday in Lake Mary. WFTV learned Toledo and Suarez had been talking about separating and that Toledo was angry about some text messages he found on his wife's phone. He showed up Suarez's Lake Mary workplace, where he confronted and allegedly slapped her, according to investigators.

Suarez's family said the three went missing just hours after the incident. Toledo was later found and arrested for a domestic battery charge out of Lake Mary.

A judge denied bond for Toledo when he appeared in court on Friday. He remains at the Volusia County Jail.

Volusia County deputies said because it is an active law enforcement investigation, they are not permitting civilians to help in the search.

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Posted: 3:53 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 30, 2013
Search resumes for bodies of missing Deltona mom, children

DELTONA, Fla. — The search for the bodies of a missing Deltona mother and her two children resumed in Volusia County on Monday.

Volusia County sheriff's officials said they set up a new command post at the Duke Power plant on Debary Avenue in Deltona.

Investigators are searching for the bodies of Yessenia Suarez, 28, and her two children, Michael Otto, 8, and Thalia Otto, 9.

The three disappeared from their Deltona home Oct. 23.

Investigators said they have exhausted all of their leads, so they're expanding their search areas and calling in more departments to help. Authorities searched wooded areas and bodies of water in hopes of locating the bodies.

"We've searched areas first that we thought had the greatest potential and there was reasons that led us to those areas and now what we're doing, is we're starting back at the center, back at the house," Volusia County Sheriff Ben Johnson said.

Volusia County along with the Florida Department of Law Enforcement and Seminole and Lake counties devoted resources to the search.

"We've seen far too often where in a case like this there was no recovery made and anything we can do in our power to make the recovery, so at least they can have closure," Johnson said.

Suarez's husband, Luis Toledo, 31, has confessed to killing Suarez, according to investigators, but he denied killing the children.

Toledo has not been cooperating with authorities and has refused to tell them where Suarez's body is. He has been charged with second-degree murder in her death.

According to investigators, Toledo implicated someone else in the deaths of the children, but no additional charges have been filed.

On Oct. 24, sheriff's investigators said the woman and children were dead, although they had not located their bodies at the time.

Toledo told investigators that he killed Suarez when he hit her in the throat, following an argument.

Sheriff's officials said the Seminole County Sheriff's Office, Lake County Sheriff's Office and Volusia County Fire Services will aid in the search.

"None of us look at a happy ending of this thing. That's the sad part," said Johnson.

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Posted: 4:11 p.m. Friday, Nov. 1, 2013
Family brings WFTV along as search continues for missing mother, kids

VOLUSIA COUNTY, Fla. — Nearly 80 searchers were out Friday continuing to look for the bodies of Yessenia Suarez, 28, and her two children, Michael Otto, 8, and Thalia Otto, 9.  The three disappeared from their Deltona home Oct. 23.

On Oct. 24, sheriff's investigators said the woman and children were dead, although they had not located their bodies at the time.
Channel 9's Blaine Tolison spent Friday with Suarez's family as they joined in on the search efforts.

Family members told WFTV the outpouring of community support has kept them going in their search. They said they were also happy to see more than 80 people searching, including law enforcement divers in the St. John's River.

Officials said they searched seven lakes and ponds on Friday and 11 on Thursday.

Family members spent Friday searching a power line road in DeBary, west from the search efforts of the Volusia County Sheriff's Office.
Some local Deltona residents are helping the family in their search, and more are expected to help over the weekend.

Suarez's husband, Luis Toledo, 31, has confessed to killing Suarez, according to investigators, but he denied killing the children. He told investigators he killed Suarez when he hit her in the throat during an argument.

Toledo has refused to tell them where Suarez's body is. He has been charged with second-degree murder in her death.

"Luis Toledo could tell us where they're at and we wouldn't have to worry about this. We could take and bring closure to this and make sure the families know where their loved ones are," Volusia County Sheriff Ben Johnson.

Investigators said they have exhausted all of their leads, so they're expanding their search areas and calling in more departments to help.

"We've searched areas first that we thought had the greatest potential and there was reasons that led us to those areas and now what we're doing, is we're starting back at the center, back at the house," Volusia County Sheriff Ben Johnson said.

Volusia County, along with the Florida Department of Law Enforcement and Seminole and Lake counties, devoted resources to the search. On Friday officers from the Ocala Police Department and members of the Volusia County Beach Safety Ocean Rescue joined in the search.

"We've seen far too often where in a case like this there was no recovery made and anything we can do in our power to make the recovery, so at least they can have closure," Johnson said.

On Thursday, officials released the 911 call from Suarez's mother, who called authorities when she hadn't heard from her daughter, knowing that she had been fighting with her husband.

After the call, a missing person's alert went out and lasted about a day before officials told Channel 9 the mother and children were dead.

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No FBI? No "Texas Equusearch"??

Posted: 8:39 a.m. Thursday, Nov. 21, 2013

DELTONA, Fla. — The family of a missing Deltona mother wants to use a lawsuit to get the accused killer to talk about what he did with her body.
Authorities said Luis Toledo admitted to police he killed Yessenia Suarez, but did not disclose any other information.
Toledo appeared in court Thursday for his arraignment, where he pleaded not guilty.
After Toledo's arraignment, he tried to say something to Yessenia's family, but he was ushered out of court.
Suarez and her children, 8-year-old Michael Otto and 9-year-old Thalia Otto, have been missing since late October.

Investigators said Toledo has admitted to killing Suarez, but that he won't tell them where her body is. They said Toledo told them he did not kill Suarez's children, but investigators said they are dead and the search for their bodies continues.

Suarez's said they are convinced that Toledo is the only one who can bring the search for the bodies, and their misery to an end.

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Posted: 1:45 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 16, 2014

DELTONA, Fla. — Luis Toledo, who is accused of killing his wife, has been charged with killing her children and tampering with evidence, officials said Thursday.

Yessenia Suarez, 28, and her two children, 8-year-old Michael Otto and 9-year-old Thalia Otto disappeared Oct. 23.
Investigators said Toledo admitted that while arguing with Suarez on Oct. 22, he hit her in the throat with his open hand and she died from the blow. They said Toledo hasn't said where her body is.

Suarez was the victim of domestic violence involving Toledo on Tuesday in Lake Mary. WFTV learned Toledo and Suarez had been talking about separating and that Toledo was angry about some text messages he found on his wife's phone. He showed up Suarez's Lake Mary workplace, where he confronted and allegedly slapped her, according to investigators.

Suarez's family said the three disppeared just hours after the incident. Toledo was later found and arrested for a domestic battery charge out of Lake Mary.

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Finally!! IMHO, LE has additional information or evidence. He needs to step up to the plate and admit to killing the children and WHERE he put them. I feel so sorry for the family!

By John W. Davis and Saul Saenz, Team Coverage
Last Updated: Wednesday, February 26, 2014, 5:31 AM
LUIS TOLEDO DOCUMENTS

Part 1 (PDF)
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Part 2 (PDF)
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DELTONA --
New pictures of blood spatters found inside the home of a murdered Volusia County mother and two children are among the new documents released Tuesday by the State Attorney’s Office.

Luis Toledo is accused of killing his wife, Yessenia Suarez, and her two children in October 2013 after a domestic violence incident at Suarez’s workplace.

The nearly 150 pages of evidence and thousands of pictures released Tuesday also detail what Toledo's neighbor allegedly saw him doing the morning his wife disappeared.

Volusia County deputies took Toledo to the Hollywood Cemetery in Orange City in October where his parents were laid to rest to let him “sit and make peace with his parents.”

Investigators were hoping that would make Toledo want to tell them where Suarez and her two young children -- 8-year-old Michael and 9-year-old Thalia Otto -- were. But he never did.

In the documents released Tuesday were DNA, blood and hair evidence from inside the couple’s home and vehicles.

At 12:49 a.m. on the day Suarez disappeared, investigators said a co-worker of Suarez, with whom she had been having a romantic relationship, was the last person to talk to her on the phone. However, her voice sounded different.

At 5 a.m., investigators said Toledo’s brother said Luis stopped by his house unannounced and appeared to be “out of it.”

Just after 6 a.m., Florida Department of Law Enforcement investigators said Toledo asked his neighbor to help him move one of the couple’s cars. The neighbor agreed and they dropped off Suarez’s black Honda Accord in the parking lot of a Publix in Lake Mary.

The neighbor told investigators he saw Toledo wiping down the car with a rag and cleaning solution. He said Toledo threw the supplies away. But the neighbor took investigators back to the dumpster, who recovered all of the items.

The new documents also show Toledo met with his wife's father after he was arrested.

Toledo is charged with first-degree murder in the children's deaths and first-degree murder in Yessenia's death. He admits killing his wife, but denies killing the children.

In documents released Feb. 5, a deputy who searched the family's home the morning Suarez was reported missing, said he detected a "strong odor consistent with Pine Sol cleaner in the master bathroom." The deputy also said he found a small mark on the bathtub that "appeared to be consistent with the color of blood."

Toledo is being held without bond at the Volusia County Jail.

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new pics of crime scene above link.

News-Journal/PETER BAUER
By Frank Fernandez
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Published: Tuesday, March 18, 2014 at 2:29 p.m.
Last Modified: Tuesday, March 18, 2014 at 6:43 p.m.

DELAND — Luis Toledo, a former gang member accused of killing his wife and her two children, waived his right to a speedy trial, meaning the wait for resolution will be longer for the dead family’s relatives who have been solemnly attending hearings.

Toledo appeared Tuesday before Circuit Judge Margaret Hudson at the Volusia County Courthouse in DeLand. Toledo waived his right to a speedy trial and Hudson set a pretrial hearing for June 17 to determine progress on bringing the case to trial.

Toledo, 32, is charged with second-degree murder in the death of his wife, Yessenia Suarez, 28, and two counts of first-degree murder in the deaths of Suarez’s children, Thalia Otto, 9, and Michael Otto, 8.

Their bodies have not been found.

Yessenia Suarez’s stepfather, Ruben Perez, said during a press conference after the hearing that it was frustrating to make the repeated trips for the brief appearances by Toledo as the case is continued.

“It’s very frustrating for us families to come out here and see this,” Perez said. “But for as long as it takes we are going to still come out here. And show our presence, because we want justice.”

Toledo was at one time the No. 3 ranked Latin King in the state, a position known as the warlord or enforcer.

Toledo entered on Tuesday wearing the customary silver handcuffs and orange jail jumpsuit. He looked toward three women, apparently his family or friends, who were there to see him. They declined to speak before the hearing. Then he looked toward the family of the woman and children he is accused of killing.

Toledo has said he struck Suarez in the throat and killed her during an argument, investigators said. But he told deputies someone else murdered the children.

Perez said he had heard nothing from Toledo about where the mother and children are. The family is enduring the pain.

“We put it in God’s hands,” Perez said. “We pray a lot. That’s about all we can do is pray and ask that God gives us the strength for us to carry on on a daily basis. It’s not easy. It’s not easy. I can tell you this because we live with it every single day like if it was yesterday. And we haven’t forgotten about Yessie or the kids and we will not forget about Yessie or the kids. I know justice will prevail.”

Yessenia Suarez’s mother, Felicita Perez, wore a white T-shirt with the pictures of her daughter and grandchildren and the words: “Justice for Yessie.”

As another woman put an arm around her, she said in a trembling voice that she hoped she learns someday where her daughter and grandchildren are.

“I miss them a lot,” she said.

Toledo was disciplined last month for etching his wife’s name in his cell. A corrections officer searched Toledo’s cell on Feb. 9 while the inmate, who was once studying to be a barber, received a haircut. The officer did not find any contraband, but he did find etchings on the window, door and wall, according to a report.

It’s difficult to discern what the markings signify but one of them is Yessenia’s first name and the initial’s “RIP.”

“I haven’t heard about that, that he scratched or whatever,” Ruben Perez said. “God knows what’s on his conscience right now.”

The mother and child were reported missing on Oct. 23, the day after Toledo appeared at Yessenia Suarez’s workplace in Lake Mary to confront her about an affair she was having with a co-worker. Toledo is accused of slapping her during the argument before driving away.

Toledo knocked on neighbor Tyshawn Jackson’s window at 6:11 a.m. Oct. 23, signaling Jackson to come outside.

Jackson told investigators that Toledo drove Suarez’s car to a Publix parking lot in Seminole County and Jackson followed in Toledo’s vehicle.

According to reports, Jackson said that when they arrived at the parking lot, he watched Toledo scrub down Suarez’s car. Toledo then drove his car to a trash bin where he threw away the trunk mat from his wife’s Honda Accord. He also threw away other items, including a pair of black boots.

Investigators found traces of Thalia Otto’s blood on the trunk mat and on Toledo’s left black boot. They also found traces of the little girl’s blood in the master bathroom of the family’s home in Deltona.

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Posted: 8:09 a.m. Tuesday, April 1, 2014

DELAND, Fla. — Prosecutors will seek the death penalty for a central Florida man accused of killing his wife and her young children.

Luis Toledo has waived his right to a speedy trial. He faces second-degree murder charges in the death of Yessenia Suarez and two charges of first-degree murder in the deaths of her children.

The Daytona Beach News-Journal reports that Assistant State Attorney J. Ryan Will has filed the notice of intent to seek the death penalty in the children's slayings.

Prosecutors say Toledo killed his wife during an argument. He told deputies that someone else killed the children.

Suarez and the children were reported missing Oct. 23, the day after a confrontation at her workplace. Their bodies have not been found.

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Posted: 5:42 p.m. Sunday, May 4, 2014
Rollins College awards degree to family of slain student

ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. — Rollins College awarded a degree Sunday to the family of a Deltona woman who investigators said was murdered.
Yessenia Suarez was working toward a bachelor’s degree in psychology at the time of her death.

The school awarded her family with Suarez’s Bachelor of Arts degree, which the family said brings them a little closer to finding some peace.
“Even though my Yesse is not here to see it, we are. I’m a proud mom. Yesse will always be a role model for her siblings and family,” Suarez’s mother, Felicia Perez, said.

A tearful Felicia Perez stood in place of her daughter to accept the degree.

Suarez had a little more than a semester left of school when deputies said she and her two young children were murdered at the hands of her husband, Luis Toledo, in Deltona last October.

“Even though it hurts us and we cried, I know that she would have been happy, and she would have been so excited,” said Suarez’s stepfather, Ruben Perez.

The bodies of Suarez and her two young children, Michael and Thalia, still haven’t been found.

Toledo was charged in their murders and is awaiting trial.

Felicia and Ruben Perez are holding out hope their loved ones will be found some day, and they still ask the public for help locating them.
“Please contact the authorities and help us out in bringing our family back home,” Ruben Perez said.

Suarez’s professors wore a pin with her picture on it during the ceremony.

Toledo has a pretrial set for next month and his trial is scheduled for July.

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