Honorario Yango
A Rainier Beach resident, a grandfather, identified by sources as Honorario Yango, 78, killed himself after allegedly shooting his daughter, Christine Dela Isla, 39, and granddaughter Anahlia Cowherd, 11.
According to the Seattle Times, a source close to the investigation said that the girl, Anahlia Cowherd, had blogged about the abuse on Wattpad, a digital storytelling site.
The blog entry read “So, this touching thing has been going on for a long time… This is the time when my grandma finds out. He says sorry but I don’t forgive him.”
Christine Dela Isla (left) and Anahlia Cowherd
When the girl’s mother learned of the abuse, she confronted her father. He then shot the mother and daughter before taking his own life in the Rainier Beach home. The grandson, 10, was able to escape and called 911.
The Seattle Police Department is currently investigating whether sexual abuse was the motive for the shootings.
Members of the Filipino American community were stunned: “It’s (child molestation) still a taboo subject when you talk about the nuance of the Filipino community,” said Sheila Burrus, the executive director of the Filipino Community of Seattle. (end)