On February 4, 2016, six members of the Martinez family were brutally murdered inside their home. The incident happened around the 5700 block of South California Avenue.House location Their bodies were discovered after one of the members, Noe Martinez Jr, 38, had not reported to work for two days. Along with him, his father, Noe Martinez Sr, 62, his mother, Rosaura Martinez, 58, his sister, Maria Herminia Martinez, 32, and his two nephews, Leonardo Cruz, 13, and Alexis Cruz, 10, were all found dead.

According to an article written by the Chicago Tribune, a Chicago police officer described the scene as “a bloody mess”.

Out of the six, Maria Herminia Martinez was the only one of the family members to receive multiple gunshot wounds. The rest of the family were found with multiple stab wounds and blunt trauma.

“ I don’t understand who would do such an awful thing to this innocent family. They were all good people,” said Blanca Garcia, a family friend.

As of now, the perpetrator and the motive for this heinous crime is unknown. The Chicago Police Department claims they are trying there best to solve this case by using all possible evidence.  Even as time passes, the Gage Park community is still in shock with the loss of six well respected members of the community.

“In Chicago you always hear about individual murders, but it is strange to hear a whole family being killed. It is sad to hear what the family went through,” said senior Jesse Gutierrez, a member of the Gage Park Community.
On February 14, 2016, a funeral service was held at St. Gall church near 5511 S Sawyer Ave. During the mass, many people from across Chicago came to say their goodbyes and honor their memory.  As the sound of traditional Mexican music and prayer echoed through the church, people stood still while Rev. Gary Graf, who was leading the mass, asked “Was God there?”.