A day after search efforts began for a missing Deltona woman and her two children, Volusia County Sheriff's Office investigators said they are now searching for their bodies.
 
The husband of Yessenia Suarez, Luis Toledo, was named a person of interest in her and her two children's disappearance. A judge denied his bond at an appearance Friday afternoon.

Suarez and her two children Michael, 8, Thalia Otto, 9, have not been seen since Tuesday evening. The Florida Department of Law Enforcement issued a missing child alert Wednesday.

Detectives spent the day searching her home.  The sheriff's office was not able to confirm how they determined they were dead.

A statement was released just after 6 p.m. Thursday:

"Based on the investigative findings, the Volusia County Sheriff’s Office’s Major Case Unit has discovered that the missing Deltona mother and her two children are deceased. The search for the victims’ bodies and the investigation into their deaths is still ongoing and no one has been charged at this time. Sheriff’s investigators and a victim advocate met a short time ago with the family to brief them on the status of the case. Investigators are continuing to talk to Luis Toledo, who is the husband of Yessenia Suarez and is considered a person of interest in the case.

Search efforts will be continuing into the evening. Because of the ongoing investigation, no additional details are being released at this time. New information will be released as developments dictate."

Volusia County Sheriff’s Office spokesperson Brandon Haught spoke to the media shortly after, but wasn’t able to release specific details about the case.

“I can’t really reveal anything along that lines as we’ve been telling you all day long, we’ve been following leads wherever they may take us, which has been various, multiple locations,” he said.

He did say detectives are working to collect all the evidence they can.

“We really want to make sure that we have a very satisfactory conclusion to this case. That means being meticulous, detail oriented, finding anything and everything that might help us. That’s why we spent so long inside that house and continue to search inside that house. That’s why that vehicle that’s been out there in the driveway, we’ve had investigators on that all day long. You’ve seen that. That’s why. We want to make sure that we are thorough, that we find everything and we do it properly.”

Haught said Suarez’s family was notified of the deaths around 6 p.m., adding that support from the community was welcome.

“Right now, this a time for the community to come together. It’s time for the community to help this family at this very tragic time in their lives. So, please, we ask for your thoughts and prayers,” he said.

Investigators in Volusia County said Suarez's husband, Luis Toledo, attacked her Tuesday at her job at AMK9 in Lake Mary before fleeing police.

The investigating officer wrote, according to the arrest report, Toledo and Suarez were arguing when he slapped her:

“They have been talking about separating and Luis showed up at [redacted] work angry over text messages discovered on her phone. The couple argued outside then Luis wanted to talk to [redacted] bosses and was buzzed in by the secretary. [Redacted] followed Luis who was walking up and down the halls trying to locate a manager. Luis and [redacted] began arguing at the end of one of the hallways when Luis slapped [redacted] on the left side of her cheek.”

The officer said Toledo left as he was pulling up, but he did talk to him over the phone.

“I spoke with who I presumed was Luis via telephone. Luis advised he came up to [redacted] place of work to speak to her and another employee. When he arrived he and [redacted] began arguing. Luis state he then wanted to tell [redacted] bosses about her indiscretions but couldn’t find any. Luis denied slapping [redacted] but state she did yell at one point.”

AMK9 will be closed on Friday.  The company released the following statement:

"On October 24, 2013, the AMK9 family was deeply saddened to learn of the deaths of AMK9 employee Yessenia Suarez and her two beautiful children; Michael and Thalia.  Our thoughts, prayers and support are with her family during this time of devastating loss.

The Lake Mary, Florida office will be closed on Friday, October 25, 2013 so that those close to Yessenia  can take time to reflect upon these events and to begin to honor the lives that have been lost."

While we understand the immense media interest in this case, we ask that you allow Ms. Suarez’s family, friends, and AMK9 teammates the respect and space necessary to work through this difficult period."


Toledo, 31, is not the father of Suarez's children.

Wednesday morning, Suarez's mother, Felicita Perez, said she could not reach her daughter, who lives around the corner from her. She notified the Volusia County Sheriff's Office and asked them to conduct a well-being check.

Deputies said Toledo showed up at Suarez's home, on Covent Gardens Place, while they were there investigating. He was taken into custody and was scheduled for a first appearance before a judge Thursday afternoon but that was delayed until Friday afternoon.

Suarez's parents pleaded for the public Thursday afternoon to help find their daughter and grandchildren and bring them home safely.

Investigators said one of Suarez's two vehicles, a 2013 Honda Accord, was found Wednesday in the parking lot of a Publix in Lake Mary.

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Yessenia Suarez timeline