Man says his dad, sister killed in MS during FB Marketplace meetup

A family member says a father and daughter who were found shot to death Sunday on a gravel road in Mississippi were en route to buy a PlayStation 5 they found on Facebook Marketplace.

The Panola County Sheriff’s Office said around 7 a.m. Sunday, deputies responded to River Road on the outskirts of Sardis in Panola County, where they discovered the victims.

River Road in Sardis, MS Photo by Mike Suriani

A passerby had called 911 to report what appeared to be a one-car wreck.

When authorities arrived, they said they found 39-year-old Victor Gonzalez and 19-year-old Serenity Gonzalez, who both appeared to have died from gunshot wounds.

Deputies said the double homicide could have occurred on Saturday or Sunday.

Jessie Waterman said Victor was his father, and Serenity was his sister, and shared pictures of his loved ones.

Serenity and Victor Gonzalez Courtesy of Jessie Waterman

Waterman said Victor and Serenity were electricians who worked on houses in the Memphis area.

He said family members were told that tire tracks indicated they may have been running from someone, but authorities have not confirmed it.

Waterman believes it was a setup, but no motive was given.

Sheriff Shane Phelps has spoken with family members of the victims, but has not said what led up to the shooting.

Neighbors say the section of River Road is not very well-traveled.

“It’s got houses up that end and houses up the other end, but very few in between,” Connie Donahou said. “It’s not a real busy road, but if you live around here, you know about this road. You pretty much have to live around here to know about this road.”

Father, daughter found shot to death after crash in Mississippi, sheriff’s office says

A father and daughter from the Memphis area were found shot to death inside a crashed car along a rural gravel road in north Mississippi on Sunday morning, authorities said.

Panola County Sheriff Shane Phelps said deputies were called around 7 a.m. after a passerby reported a single vehicle crash along an isolated stretch of River Rd. marked for local traffic only.

When deputies arrived, they found two people inside the vehicle, both dead.

Investigators identified the victims as a 39-year-old father identified as Victor Gonzalez and his 19-year-old daughter Serenity Gonzalez from the Memphis area. Authorities believe both had been shot. The case is being investigated as a homicide, the sheriff said.

“We did receive a call Sunday morning around 7:00 of a one-car wreck,” Phelps said. “On arrival of our deputies, they noticed one victim was deceased, and shortly thereafter the other victim as well was deceased.”

Phelps said there is no indication of an ongoing threat to the public and described the killings as an isolated incident. However, he said investigators are still working to determine what led up to the shootings and who is responsible.

“There’s a lot I can’t say right now,” Phelps said. “Hopefully in the near future we’ll be able to put more information out.”

Neighbors who live near the rural road said violence like this is rare in the area.

“That’s kind of crazy. You don’t hear about stuff around here too much,” said nearby resident Joe Gatewood. “Definitely be more on the lookout and more on guard now, because I usually feel pretty safe when I am out here.”

Authorities are asking anyone with information to contact CrimeStoppers of Panola County at 662-209-2011.