GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — Family has identified one of the victims in a Monday triple homicide investigation. All three bodies were found within blocks of each other.
Grand Rapids Police responded to the Burton Heights neighborhood after several people called 911 to report a man and a woman bloodied in the street in two separate areas just before noon.
One of the victims was found in the area of Melville Street SE and Horton Avenue SE, while the other was found near Melville Street Southeast and Francis Avenue Southeast.
Police have not announced their cause of death.
Family identified the woman as 20-year-old Anayia Rodriguez.
They say she was sweet, funny and good to her family and friends. She always had a smile on her face and thought positively.
Rodriguez graduated from East Kentwood High School and was a leader in cheer and her community, her family says.
The man killed was Anayia's boyfriend, loved ones say.
Hours after police discovered the bodies of Rodriguez and her boyfriend, another man was shot and killed in the 2000 block of Horton Avenue Southeast. Police said they can't yet say with certainty if this shooting death is connected to theirs, though all were found in the same neighborhood.
Monday evening, a black Jeep was found about three miles from the crime scene, which police called a "vehicle of interest." Authorities gathered evidence from the car and towed it away.
After a gruesome day just steps from their front doors, neighbors are asking for more peace of mind. Police previously installed trailer cameras in the neighborhood, but they were removed earlier this year. Residents hoped Monday the cameras that once watched over their streets would return.
"It is surprising because now we're scared because it's right in front of our houses," said two women who wanted to remain anonymous. They live near the scene where the man was shot and killed Monday afternoon. "She's been living in her house for 27 years and nothing like this has ever happened."
The two women 13 ON YOUR SIDE talked to said they called 911 after hearing six shots around 3 p.m.
"She's scared," they added. "She wants to leave this neighborhood now. I'm the same way."
At the scene Monday, Chief Eric Winstrom said putting cameras in the area was a possibility. Tuesday morning, they were back.
►Make it easy to keep up to date with more stories like this. Download the 13 ON YOUR SIDE app now.
Have a news tip? Email news@13onyourside.com, visit our Facebook page or Twitter. Subscribe to our YouTube channel.