Family, friends continue to come to grips with deaths of 3 children, mother in Danbury

DANBURY, CT (WFSB) - Friends and family members continue to come to grips with the deaths of three children and their mother in Danbury.

Tonight, hundreds of people showed up to support the family in this tragedy, and although many of the people didn’t personally know them, tonight was about unity.

“Praying for the kids, for the mom, family, and showing support, you know, because it’s the time that we need to come together and show that we are family no matter where you are from,” said Mariela Rosano, a Danbury resident.

Police said 36-year-old Sonia Loja murdered her three children before hanging herself on Wednesday.

They identified the children as 12-year-old Junior Panjon, 10-year-old Joselyn Panjon, and 5-year-old Jonael Panjon.

“Como madre me identifico. Yo se que hay muchos padres de familia. No sabemos lo que paso solo dios puede juzgar,” said Betty Rodriguez, a Danbury resident.

Betty says she didn’t know the family but as a mom she felt she needed to show up. She worked with Walter to plan this service.

“Mostrarle a la familia que estamos todos juntos. Que estamos con ellos. Y vamos a empezar a colectar para enterrar a los niños. Ellos no pueden ni pensar y nosotros estamos aqui para ayudar,” said Walter Garcia.

“Walter, who’s working with the family, says he wants to make sure they know Danbury residents have their back. As the family starts the funeral process, Walter says he wants to help collect anything they might need.

“We never experienced anything like this. I lived here for like 33 years in Danbury and I never seen anything like this so, its like, heartbroken,” said Rosano.

On Thursday, Channel 3 spoke with several people who care about the family, including the children’s father.

They told Eyewitness News that they didn’t notice any red flags, and they never would have imagined this kind of tragedy would happen.

The family members and friends met outside the home on Whaley Street on Thursday.

“We all played together tag and we had a good bond together,” said Shayla Yunga, a school friend of Joselyn.

Shayla said she knew the entire family.

Family members said Loja ran a daycare out of her home. However, police said her business was not certified.

State officials tell us someone anonymously complained to them about an illegal child care happening at this location.

The Office of Early Childhood tells us that the complaint came in at the end of May. A few days later, in June, staff visited the home and confirmed that the woman was providing illegal care. That is when she was issued a notice.

Towards end of June, state officials came again and found that she was still taking care of kids. That is when the state issued a demand to cease.

According to state law, the facility and the person need to be licensed in order to provide child care, and Sonia was not licensed.

Friends, including Shayla’s mother Gabriella Gomez, stressed that Loja was a wonderful babysitter and many families trusted her with their children.

Thursday, they told Channel 3 that they were devastated and wished desperately that they knew their friend had clearly struggling with something.

“What happened?” Gomez asked. “You know what happened? Did she need help?”

The children’s father told Eyewitness News that he thought his entire family had been happy. Now, he’s deep in mourning.

If people know someone who is struggling with mental health challenges, there is a new crisis hotline that can help. Just dial 988.

Police said they are still looking for a motive.

The Panjon family is seeking donations to help cover funeral expenses.

If you would like to help the father out, CLICK HERE.