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Background: News footage of the area where Victor Gonzalez and his daughter Serenity Gonzalez were found dead on March 1 (WREG). Inset: Victor Gonzalez and Serenity Gonzalez (Facebook).
A tragic event unfolded in Mississippi where a father and his teenage daughter were discovered fatally shot. Their family reported that the pair were traveling to meet a contact from Facebook Marketplace.
The bodies of Victor Gonzalez, aged 42, and his 19-year-old daughter, Serenity Gonzalez, were located on Sunday in what authorities are treating as a suspected homicide. Police were called to Sardis, approximately 50 miles south of Memphis, Tennessee, due to a report of a potential single-vehicle accident. According to a family member, the duo, who resided in Memphis, had left on February 28 to purchase a PlayStation 5 console through Facebook Marketplace but failed to return home.
The Panola County Sheriff’s Office reported that deputies responded at 7 a.m. on Sunday following a notification about a possible car crash on a secluded gravel road. Upon arrival, deputies discovered the father and daughter had suffered multiple gunshot wounds.
Victor Gonzalez’s son, Jessie Waterman, 15, who is also Serenity’s brother, shared details with local media about the intended trip. Speaking with Memphis’s CBS affiliate WREG, Waterman expressed his belief that the Facebook Marketplace transaction was a setup that ensnared his family members.
In an interview with Memphis’s ABC affiliate WATN, Waterman speculated that something went awry during the transaction, suggesting it might have been a “scam.” Observing the scene, he noted signs that indicated his loved ones might have been attempting to escape, evidenced by the tracks on the road and mud on the side of the van.
WATN said that law enforcement did not confirm the details about the Facebook Marketplace transaction.
The Panola County Sheriff’s Office said they believe the double homicide took place on Feb. 28 or March 1. The investigation is still ongoing, and authorities are asking anyone with information to call Crimestoppers of Panola County at 662-209-2011.