Gladys Machado Update: "Someone needs to pay for this," says sister of slain Fla. mom
(CBS/WFOR) MIAMI - Family members of slain Florida mother Gladys Machado, who was found dead in the closet of her Miami area home last week next to the bodies of her two young daughters, are now looking for answers amidst tragedy.
PICTURES: Fla. mom, 2 kids found dead in closet
Machado's sister and stepmother, who have been avoiding the press, spoke out for the first time Friday, telling CBS Miami about their lost loved ones.
"She was so beautiful and happy. I don't know why someone would ever do something like this," Machado's sister, Odalys, said about her sibling.
A neighbor on Tuesday found the bodies of Machado, 4-year-old Daniela Padrino and 8-year-old Julia Padrino. Police have not yet released the manner of death or named a suspect in the case.
"Whoever did this I want them to fess up," Odalys Machado told CBS Miami. "Someone needs to pay for this. That's all I want. I will not be happy until this happens.
"I am very much in shock. Gladys was such a good person and a beautiful mother," said Emma Martinez, Gladys Machado's stepmother.
"The children were so beautiful," she said. "They used to come to my home on weekends when Gladys was going out to the movies or other places. They were great kids."
Martinez and Odalys Machado spoke with CBS Miami as crime scene investigators returned to Gladys Machado's home Friday night, apparently looking for more evidence.
According to CBS Miami, police would not say why they returned to the crime scene, where they spent over four hours. Investigators reportedly went into the home, after putting on crime scene boots and gloves. They sealed off the building with yellow crime scene tape and were seen with bags to collect evidence.
Odalys Machado told CBS Miami that her sister had been dating another man since she became estranged from her husband, 28-year-old Alberto Sierra, who was questioned by police and released Thursday. Miami-Dade police say they have not charged Sierra and he is not being named a person of interest.
According to the Maimi Herald, arrest records show Sierra was accused of domestic battery against Machado in 2010, when he allegedly bit her during an argument and stole her gun. She later claimed she found the gun, and that it had not been stolen.
After the incident, Machado's previous husband Michael Padrino attempted to gain sole custody of his daughters, but a judge refused saying the Department of Children and Families had returned them to Machado's home after an investigation.
