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Three Children Orphaned In South Philadelphia Murder-Suicide, Loved Ones Say

Philadelphia is rallying on behalf of the three children left orphaned following an apparent murder-suicide late last month. 

Margaux Leuzzi and her children.

Margaux Leuzzi and her children.

Photo Credit: Courtesy of GoFundMe "Margaux Leuzzi Memorial Fund for Her 3 Children"

It happened on Tuesday, May 23, city police told Daily Voice. Officers were called to a home on the 2400 block of South 11th Street around 1:40 p.m. for reports of shots fired, the department said. 

They arrived to find an adult woman, later identified as 41-year-old Margaux Leuzzi, suffering from multiple gunshot wounds in the backyard, police said. She was pronounced dead at the scene. 

Inside, 55-year-old Joseph Messina was found in a bedroom "suffering from a self-inflicted rifle wound," the department said. He was also pronounced dead by first responders. 

Their deaths remain under investigation by PPD's Homicide Unit. 

In the weeks since, neighbors, friends, and loved ones have stepped up to assist the children they left behind. On a GoFundMe campaign launched by relatives, community members have raised a staggering $68,000 on behalf of 17-year-old Joey, 15-year-old Vienna, and 11-year-old Mason. 

The three were looking forward to graduations and summer vacations before losing both of their parents, loved ones wrote. 

"In the blink of an eye, the children lost their mother and their father," said page organizer Charles Leuzzi. The money, he adds, will help the three handle funeral expenses, education costs, and day-to-day needs. 

"Margaux's children were her life," Charles wrote, "and it is our family's mission to help them achieve everything that she hoped they would."

Click here to support Margaux Leuzzi's children on GoFundMe.com. 

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