Update: Modesto homicide victims ID’d. Suspect may have lived with them, MPD says
Three generations of a Modesto family were killed in a stabbing attack that police say ended with the arrest of a 28-year-old suspect after a search and standoff in the neighborhood near Modesto’s airport.
The Modesto Police Department identified the victims as Maria Sylvia Nuñez-Villalobos, 54, and her daughter, Fabiola Gonzalez-Nuñez, 23, and a family fundraiser identified the third victim as two-week-old Mateo Gonzalez.
“Our family is experiencing a heartbreaking loss that words cannot adequately express,” the fundraiser states.
The fundraiser describes Nuñez-Villalobos as “a loving grandmother whose kindness and strength touched everyone around her,” Gonzalez-Nuñez as “a devoted mother, daughter, and loved one who brought joy and love to those fortunate enough to know her,” and Mateo as “an innocent child whose life was taken far too soon.”
Photos shared through the fundraiser show Nuñez-Villalobos and Gonzalez-Nuñez together, as well as baby Mateo wrapped in a blanket.
Modesto police were dispatched at about 9:25 a.m. Thursday to the 1600 block of Monterey Avenue for a reported disturbance near Orville Wright Elementary School.
When officers arrived, they found a 23-year-old woman suffering from multiple stab wounds. She died at the scene, according to police.
As officers searched the residence, they discovered two additional victims: a 54-year-old woman and an infant child. The woman died at the scene, while the baby was transported to a hospital, where he later died, police said.
Fabiola Gonzalez-Nuñez was the mother of baby Mateo. She and suspect Joaquin Escoto, 28, are the parents of an uninjured 3-year-old child who was located inside the residence, according to MPD.
Maria Sylvia Nuñez-Villalobos was Gonzalez-Nuñez’s mother, police said.
Early in the investigation, officers established a perimeter after receiving information that the suspect remained in the area. Modesto Police Department’s Hostage Negotiation Team, SWAT team and Investigations Division responded to assist.
Because of the ongoing search, Orville Wright Elementary School was placed on lockdown. Students were later relocated to La Loma Junior High School while officers continued their operation.
Police later located Escoto hiding inside a nearby residence. He was taken into custody without incident.
MPD said investigators believe the three victims and Escoto resided together in the home, and that Escoto was involved in a relationship with Gonzalez-Nuñez, although the exact nature of their relationship remains under investigation.
Child Protective Services assumed custody of the 3-year-old child, according to MPD.
Escoto was booked into the Stanislaus County Jail on three counts of murder, special circumstance enhancements, using a deadly weapon, and an outstanding Modesto Police Department warrant related to a prior DUI case.
The family’s fundraiser says the tragedy has left relatives struggling to cope with both emotional and financial burdens.
“In a single moment, generations of love, memories, and dreams for the future were taken from us,” the fundraiser states.
The fundraiser had raised more than $18,000 by Friday evening toward funeral expenses, counseling services and support for family members affected by the killings.
The investigation remains ongoing.
This story was originally published May 29, 2026 at 12:24 PM with the headline "Update: Modesto homicide victims ID’d. Suspect may have lived with them, MPD says."
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