N.Y. Family's Home Was on Fire — But What Police Found in the Basement Was Even Worse

A man suspected of killing a family of four, including two children, in Upstate New York last year has been arrested in the Dominican Republic, authorities said.

Luis Francisco Soriano, also known as Jefry Yevo, had just ended his shift at a Punta Cana hotel’s call center when he was taken into custody by members of the U.S. Marshals Service on Wednesday, June 4, according to a press release from the U.S. Marshals Service.

Soriano, 31, had been wanted by police in Irondequoit, N.Y., a suburb of Rochester, on four counts of second-degree murder, as well as narcotics charges related to the August 2024 killings, in which two of the victims were ages 2 and 4, per the release.

Officials said Soriano fled to Puerto Rico after the slayings and then traveled by boat to the Dominican Republic. He was added to the USMS District of Puerto Rico’s Top 10 Most Wanted fugitives list in September 2024, per the release.

According to local station WHEC-TV, when first responders arrived at the home on Aug. 31, 2024, they found the house up in flames, police said. After searching the home, authorities found the bodies of a father, mother, and their two young children in the basement. Multiple fires were also set around the home, authorities said, per the outlet.

The victims were identified as Fraime Ubaldo, 30; Marangely Moreno Santiago, 26; Evangeline Ubaldo Moreno, 4; and Sebastián Ubaldo Moreno, 2, the Associated Press reported, citing officials.

Soriano’s brother, Julio Soriano, was arrested shortly after the killings, which police claim the suspects tried to cover up by setting multiple fires, according to local newspaper the Democrat & Chronicle.

Julio, originally from the Dominican Republic, is facing four counts of first-degree murder, four counts of second-degree murder, as well as other felony charges, the outlet reported.

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According to WHAM-TV, Julio has pleaded not guilty to the charges and is being held in the Monroe County Jail. PEOPLE couldn’t immediately identify an attorney to speak on his behalf.

Authorities have said the brothers are related to Ubaldo, per the AP.

Luis is expected to remain in custody of Dominican authorities pending his extradition proceedings, officials said. It’s unclear if he has retained an attorney to speak on his behalf.

Wilmer Ocasio-Ibarra, U.S. Marshal for the District of Puerto Rico, called the case one that not only “deeply impacted” communities in New York and Puerto Rico, but “shook our entire nation.”

“It is truly worthy of recognition, and our communities should feel reassured knowing that this fugitive has been captured and will face justice,” he said, per the release.