Karla R Fernandez

Dec. 10, 1973 - Aug. 24, 2007

ELKHART - Karla R. (Van Donk) Fernandez, 33, died at 6:15 p.m. Friday in her home. Survivors include daughters, Jacqueline Fernandez and Esther Fernandez, both at home; her mother, Sharon L. Van Donk; sister, Trina (Ralph) Anderson; half sister, Linda (Rex) Snyder; and half brothers, Rudy and Peter Van Donk. Services will be at 1 p.m. Tuesday in Stemm-Lawson-Peterson Funeral Home, where friends may call two hours before services.

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Two Elkhart County girls are without parents, after police found the couple dead inside their home last night.

Police say the father, Omar Fernandez shot and killed his wife Karla before turning the gun on himself.

It happened in the 23000 block of Parkwood Place about 6:15pm Friday.

Elkhart County police say Omar shot his wife in their bedroom before shooting himself in the head.

Police are now officially calling the scene a murder-suicide.

Family members and neighbors say the two young girls, both under the age of ten, ran over to a neighbors house crying for help to call 911.

Brandon Westlake, a friend of the couple, says he's sick about the situation. His two daughters were close with the Fernandez daughters and this is every family's worst nightmare. He actually had to talk to Omar's brother who lives in Honduras over the phone.

Westlake says, “It was very hard talking to his brother about what's going on here, when you really don't know for sure what happened or why. I can't imagine something like this happening. They're good people. They had their problems but not that bad, you would think."

Police say the two girls were not hurt and have been taken into protective custody.