Florida Mother Finds Ex-Husband and Two Children Dead on Custody Day

A Florida mother due to pick up her two young children from their father found all three shot dead Wednesday afternoon in what investigators suspect was a murder-suicide. Olivia Piccolo, 29, discovered the scene at the Cocoa, Florida, home of her ex-husband, 37-year-old Joseph Dingwall, when she arrived to collect her 7-year-old son, Remy, and 5-year-old daughter, Aria. Cocoa Police Chief Evander Collier IV said during a press briefing that it was Piccolo's day to have custody of the children. After she was unable to reach their father, she went to the residence and entered. Collier said the door was partially open, and she went inside and found all three deceased. Law enforcement officials said Dingwall is believed to have been responsible for the children's deaths. Police records show officers had previously been called to Dingwall's home 11 times for various medical calls and suspicious activity. A neighbor, Marcos Garcia, said he heard two distinct gunshots at approximately 12:20 a.m., about twelve hours before Piccolo found the scene. Garcia said doorbell camera footage showed Dingwall pacing outside the home with a flashlight shortly after the shots were fired. A community fundraising effort set up to help with funeral expenses and support Piccolo described the siblings as the center of their mother's life. Organizers wrote that anyone who knew Olivia, even briefly, knew about her children, and that Remy and Aria meant everything to her. They said her life revolved around them and that being their mother was at the heart of who she was. The Cocoa Police Department has not publicly disclosed a motive, and the investigation is ongoing.