Florida father suspected of killing two young children and himself in Cocoa
Police in Cocoa, Florida, say a 37-year-old father is believed to have killed his two children, aged 5 and 7, and himself. Their mother found the bodies on Wednesday 7 October, and no motive has been made public.
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The story, neutrally told
Mixed · 2Three people were found dead at a home in Cocoa, Florida, on Wednesday 7 October in what police describe as a suspected murder-suicide. New York PostR “A Florida mom picking up her young children from their father found all three of them shot dead in a suspected murder-suicide.” Read at New York Post ↗ Hindustan TimesN “The three were found dead in a Cocoa, Florida home a little after noon on Wednesday, October 7” Read at Hindustan Times ↗ Mixed · 2The dead are Joseph Dingwall, 37, and his children Remy, 7, and Aria, 5. The New York Post spells the girl's name "Aira" in one place and "Aria" in another. Hindustan TimesN “The children have been identified as 5-year-old Aria Dingwall and 7-year-old Remy Dingwall, and their father as 37-year-old Joseph Dingwall.” Read at Hindustan Times ↗ New York PostR “picking up her daughter Aira, 5, and son Remy, 7, from her ex Joseph Dingwall” Read at New York Post ↗ Mixed · 2The children's mother, Olivia Piccolo, 29, found the bodies when she went to the house. Cocoa Police Chief Evander Collier IV said it was her day for custody, and that the door was partially ajar when she went in. New York PostR ““The door was partially ajar and she went inside and found all three deceased.”” Read at New York Post ↗ Hindustan TimesN “Police, however, noted that it was their mother's day to have custody.” Read at Hindustan Times ↗
Centre · 1According to Florida Today, which obtained an audio recording of the 911 call, the mother called 911 after finding the bodies. Hindustan Times, citing that outlet, says she went to check on the children because they had missed school. Hindustan TimesN “The kids were discovered after their mother called 911. She is the one who found the bodies, according to an audio recording of the call obtained by the Florida Today.”“Aria and Remy’s mother came to the house to check on the children because they missed school, according to the outlet.” Read at Hindustan Times ↗ Mixed · 2Police said they believe the father was responsible for the children's deaths, and Hindustan Times, citing People, reports that evidence at the scene indicates a murder-suicide. The New York Post reports that all three were shot. New York PostR “The 37-year-old dad was “believed to be responsible for the children’s deaths,” officials wrote in an email to The Post.” Read at New York Post ↗ Hindustan TimesN “the evidence at the scene indicates this was a murder-suicide” Read at Hindustan Times ↗ Mixed · 2A neighbour told police he heard gunshots around midnight. The neighbour, Marcos Garcia, told WESH 2 News he heard two shots at 12:20 a.m. and did not call police. New York PostR ““Two gunshots. Two clear gunshots, and it was 12.20 a.m., midnight,” the neighbor, Marcos Garcia, told the outlet.” Read at New York Post ↗ Hindustan TimesN “A neighbor told police that they heard gunshots around midnight at the residence” Read at Hindustan Times ↗
Mixed · 2Doorbell or surveillance footage from a neighbour's house shows a man pacing in front of the home around that time. The New York Post says the man was Dingwall carrying a flashlight, while Hindustan Times says it is unclear whether the person was him. New York PostR “Dingwall was caught on the same neighbor’s doorbell cam pacing around the front of his home with a flashlight” Read at New York Post ↗ Hindustan TimesN “It is unclear if that person was Joseph.” Read at Hindustan Times ↗ Right · 1The New York Post reports that police had been called to Dingwall's home 11 times for "medical and suspicious activities". No motive had been made public. New York PostR “Police previously had been called 11 times to Dingwell’s home or various “medical and suspicious activities,” officials said.”“A motive for the unspeakable crime had not been publicized.” Read at New York Post ↗ Mixed · 2A GoFundMe set up by a family friend to cover funeral and living expenses for Piccolo had raised more than $15,000 by Friday morning. It describes Remy as a boy who loved video games and music, and Aria as a girl who loved animals and everything pink. Hindustan Times adds that a separate GiveSendGo has also been launched. New York PostR “had raised more than $15,000 on Friday morning as the community rallied around the bereaved woman.” Read at New York Post ↗ Hindustan TimesN “A separate GiveSendGo has also been launched for the slain children.” Read at Hindustan Times ↗
Right · 1Cocoa Mayor Michael C. Blake asked the community to keep the family in prayer and show support. New York PostR ““We ask that you continue to hold them up in prayer, show support and love because tough times don’t always last, tough people do,” Cocoa Mayor Michael C. Blake reportedly asked the community.” Read at New York Post ↗
Every sentence links to the reporting it rests on. The pill in front of each says where its sources sit: Left, Centre or Right when one side supplies at least half of them, Mixed when they are evenly split. The number is how many outlets it cites.
Left0 outlets
No left outlet in our sources has covered this story yet.
Centre1 outlet
- Framing
- Summarises the case as an explainer, gathering details from People, Florida Today, WESH and WFTV, and centres the GoFundMe.
- Emphasis
- The GoFundMe tributes to the children, the 911 call, and the caveat that the person in the footage is unidentified.
- Leaves out or plays down
- Does not mention the 11 earlier police calls to the home or the mayor's statement.
- Charged language
- “murder-suicide”
- For example
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“Authorities in Florida said that a father and two young children were found dead in his home in an apparent murder-suicide.” — Hindustan Times
Right1 outlet
- Framing
- Leads with the mother's discovery and the 'gruesome' scene, using emotive crime-report language.
- Emphasis
- The mother's discovery, the neighbour who heard shots but did not call police, the 11 earlier police calls to the home, and the fundraiser.
- Leaves out or plays down
- Does not mention that the mother went to the house because the children missed school, or that it is unclear who was seen on the footage.
- Charged language
- “gruesome discovery”“unimaginably ghastly scene”“unspeakable crime”
- For example
-
“Mom makes gruesome discovery after ex kills himself, their young children in suspected Florida murder-suicide” — New York Post
What every side reports
- Joseph Dingwall, 37, and his children Remy, 7, and Aria, 5, were found dead at his home in Cocoa, Florida, on 7 October.
- Police believe the father was responsible for the children's deaths.
- The mother found the bodies after going to the house on her custody day.
- A neighbour heard gunshots around midnight.
- A GoFundMe has been set up to support the mother.
Where accounts differ
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Whether the man seen on neighbour's footage was the father
- Centre
- Hindustan Times says it is unclear whether the person seen pacing was Joseph.
- Right
- The New York Post says Dingwall was caught on the neighbour's doorbell cam pacing with a flashlight.
Left0 articles
No coverage yet.
Centre1 article
-
Sympathetic Aggregated 'what we know' report that quotes the fundraiser's tributes and is cautious about the footage.
Right1 article
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Alarmist Tabloid-style account that dwells on the mother's discovery and the scene.
- 9 Oct 13:59 First New York PostR Mom makes gruesome discovery after ex kills himself, their young children in suspected Florida murder-suicide
- 12 Oct 08:40 +66h 41m Hindustan TimesN Aria and Remy Dingwall GoFundMe: Florida children, 5 and 7, found dead alongside dad in murder-suicide, ‘Each other’s little world’
Times are when each article was published, or when we first saw it if the outlet gave no time.